TIRANA – The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) consortium has completed the 105 km long offshore section of the gas pipeline that connects Italy’s and Albania’s coasts across the Adriatic Sea, the TAP consortium has said.
The milestone includes offshore installation of about 9,000 pipes of 36-inch diameter, connection with the onshore elements in Albanian waters and hydrotesting of the infrastructure, the consortium said in a statement on Tuesday.
Activities to connect the Italian and Albanian coasts started in mid-January.
The consortium completed the construction of a natural gas compressor station in the Albanian city of Fier in February after previously completing a compressor station near Kipoi, in eastern Greece, and a gas metering station near Bilisht, in southeastern Albania.
Connecting with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) at Greece’s border with Turkey, TAP will stretch across northern Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea before reaching Italy’s coast where it will connect to the Italian natural gas network.
TAP is part of the Southern Gas Corridor, which also comprises the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP) crossing Azerbaijan and Georgia, and TANAP. The shareholders of TAP are BP, Azerbaijan’s state company Socar and Italy’s Snam with 20% each, Belgium’s Fluxys with 19%, Spain’s Enagas with 16% and Swiss-based Axpo with 5%.
(SeeNews)
