TIRANA (Albania), September 7 (SeeNews) – The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) consortium said it has lowered into the ground over 91% of pipes on the route of the gas project in Albania and Greece.
Around 700 km of 765 km of pipes have already been laid and the trench has been back-filled, the consortium said in a Twitter post on Thursday.
“Construction work continues in full swing. TAP, the European leg of the Southern Gas Corridor, will contribute to energy security, diversification of natural gas, supply and decarbonisation,” the consortium added.
TAP will stretch from Greece's border with Turkey, via Albania and across the Adriatic Sea, to Italy's coast. It is part of the Southern Gas Corridor which also comprises the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP), which crosses Azerbaijan and Georgia, and the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP).
The consortium plans to start full-scale operation of the pipeline in 2020.
TAP shareholders 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%.