Baku, Azerbaijan, March 27
By Leman Zeynalova - Trend:
More than 85 percent of steel pipes in Greece and Albania (around 650 kilometers out of 765 kilometers total) have been welded as part of construction of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which envisages transportation of Azerbaijani gas to Europe, TAP consortium said in a message.
“All welds are subject to automatic testing to ensure they meet national and international standards,” said the message.
TAP project, worth 4.5 billion euros, is one of the priority energy projects for the European Union (EU). The project envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz Stage 2 to the EU countries.
Connecting with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) at the Greek-Turkish border, TAP will cross Northern Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea before coming ashore in Southern Italy to connect to the Italian natural gas network.
The project is currently in its construction phase, which started in 2016.
Once built, TAP will offer a direct and cost-effective transportation route opening up the vital Southern Gas Corridor, a 3,500-kilometer long gas value chain stretching from the Caspian Sea to Europe.
TAP shareholders include BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam S.p.A. (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagás (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent).
---