Baku, December 7, AZERTAC

The European Commission welcomed on Friday the start of the operations of the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), the last stretch of the Southern gas corridor, thanks to which gas pumped from the Shah Deniz offshore gas field in Azerbaijan started reaching Italy, according to Euractiv news portal.

Commission spokesperson Tim McPhie said the EU executive “welcomes the start of operation of the TAP, which connects Greece to Italy trough Albania, bringing Caspian gas to consumers in the EU”.

“The project will increase choice and competition, improve energy security and diversify gas supply, particularly in Italy, Greece and Bulgaria, as well as the South-East European region. TAP is a project of EU common interest and an important part of the Southern gas corridor,” McPhie emphasized.

Four and a half years after the inauguration of construction works in Thessaloniki, the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), an 878-km gas transportation system crossing Greece, Albania, the Adriatic Sea and Italy, began commercial operations.

A diverse team of industry professionals worked diligently and effectively under challenging conditions to safely deliver a strategic piece of energy infrastructure on schedule.

TAP is the European leg of the Southern Gas Corridor, a gateway project that will transport 10 billion cubic metres (bcm/a) of new gas supplies from Azerbaijan to multiple markets in Europe. The TAP system operates in line with internationally recognized quality, health, safety and environmental standards, and is designed with the potential to double its throughput capacity to 20 bcm/a.

The 878km long pipeline will connect with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) at the Turkish-Greek border at Kipoi, cross northern Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Southern Italy, where it will connect to Italy’s gas transportation grid operated by SNAM Rete Gas.

TAP is the European section of the Southern Gas Corridor, enhancing Europe’s energy security and contributing to decarbonisation and the diversification of gas supplies.

TAP’s shareholders include BP (20%), SOCAR (20%), Snam (20%), Fluxys (19%), Enagás (16%) and Axpo (5%).