ECONOMY
Premier Edi Rama: “Albania is ready to play as connecting point in Balkans with European energy market through TAP”
Baku, February 15 AZERTAC
Albania is ready to play as a connecting point in the Balkans with the European energy market, in particular through the TAP, Prime Minister Edi Rama has said during the meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry.
He also said Albania dedicated particular importance to extending the gas line up in the Adriatic-Ionian corridor as a strategic imperative for the regional integration in the broadest European integration framework and the Euro-Atlantic region, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama.
Albania is one of the transit countries for the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which will transport natural gas from the giant Shah Deniz II field in Azerbaijan to Europe. The 878 km long pipeline will connect with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) at the Turkish-Greek border at Kipoi, cross Greece and Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Southern Italy.
The Premier said TAP’s routing could facilitate connections to some infrastructure projects to supply gas to several South Eastern European countries. One of these projects is the Ionian-Adriatic Pipeline (IAP).
TAP’s routing can facilitate gas supply to several South Eastern European countries, including Bulgaria, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and others. TAP’s landfall in Italy provides multiple opportunities for further transport of Caspian natural gas to some of the largest European markets such as Germany, France, the UK, Switzerland and Austria.
TAP will promote the economic development and job creation along the pipeline route; it will be a major source of foreign direct investment and it is not dependent on grants or subsidies. With first gas sales to Georgia and Turkey targeted for late 2018, first deliveries to Europe will follow approximately in early 2020.