Baku, May 3, AZERTAC

The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) AG has today announced that on Thursday, it successfully completed its first hydrotest. Also known as hydrostatic testing, this is a method for verifying a pipeline's safety after it has been built. The pipeline is filled with water and pressurised more than its intended operating pressure, so as to test its integrity and ensure its safe performance during operation.

The hydrotest was applied to the pipeline's first 1.4 km of the Greek section. It is a very significant step in the construction process, since it technically affirms the pipeline's safety, which is identified as the project's number one priority. Following this successful start, additional parts of the pipeline will be gradually tested until the end of the year.

Commenting on the first hydrostatic testing of the pipeline, TAP's Country Manager for Greece, Rikard Scoufias hailed it as a big step that marks yet another important milestone in the construction process, as the project advances according to schedule. Almost a year after the Inauguration Ceremony held in May 2016, construction has significantly progressed in two of the three Northern Greek Prefectures to be traversed by the pipeline: Eastern Macedonia-Thrace and Central Macedonia.

More specifically, as of end-April 2017, out of the total 550 km of pipeline to be built on Greek soil.

TAP will transport natural gas from the giant Shah Deniz II field in Azerbaijan to Europe. The approximately 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.

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 economic development and job creation along the pipeline route; it will also be a major source of foreign direct investment. With first gas sales to Georgia and Turkey targeted for late 2018, first deliveries to Europe will follow around early 2020.

TAP's shareholding is comprised of BP (20%), SOCAR (20%), Snam (20%), Fluxys (19%), Enagás (16%) and Axpo (5%).