TAP keen to provide cost-effective delivery of Azeri gas to Europe
Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) is keen to ensure the safe and cost-effective transport of Azerbaijani Shah Deniz gas to European countries, as well as support Greece to assume its role as a key European energy player, Natural Gas Europe reported referring to the TAP's official.
"TAP has all the credentials allowing it to uphold and fulfill its commitment - which has been very consistent from the beginning of this project," External Affairs and Communications Director in TAP, Michael Hoffmann said in an interview to Natural Gas Europe.
According to Hoffmann, TAP has many advantages over the current competition with other pipeline projects, the most critical of which is the scalability of the pipeline.
At the moment the gas which will be produced during the second stage of Azerbaijani Shah Deniz gas field development is considered as the main available source for the projects within the Southern gas Corridor.
It is therefore logical to develop the pipeline in line with the Shah Deniz schedule, to be ready when they are ready, Hoffmann believes.
However, he believes that there will be additional volumes in the future. So, one needs a pipeline that can be easily scalable to provide much larger throughput.
"TAP is the only pipeline which can meet this specific requirement," Hoffmann said.
TAP's initial pipeline capacity will be 10 billion cubic meters per year, while it has full scalability to 20 bcm.
TAP's shareholders, Hoffmann said, have top-level experience at an international level in both onshore and offshore pipeline construction.
The TAP is a natural gas pipeline project intended to transport gas from the Caspian region via Greece and Albania and across the Adriatic Sea to southern Italy and further into western Europe. The project is aimed at enhancing security of supply as well as diversification of gas supplies for the European markets.
The total length of the pipeline is about 800 kilometers.
TAP's shareholders are EGL of Switzerland (42.5 percent), Norway's Statoil (42.5 percent) and E.ON Ruhrgas of Germany (15 percent).
On Oct. 1, TAP along with the other pipeline projects (Nabucco, ITGI) submitted their final proposals to the Azerbaijani side, which review them in accordance with previously announced criteria.