TAP issues next contract notice
By Aynur Jafarova
The Trans-Adriatic-Pipeline (TAP) has issued its fifth contract notice as part of its pre-qualification process for potential suppliers.
The notice was published in the EU Gazette, the official journal of the EU, TAP said on July 25.
The scope of this particular Supply Contract will include manufacturing, testing and delivery of large diameter ball valves: approximately 8 of 36 inch (class 900) valves and 46 of 48 inch (class 600) valves.
"The potential suppliers need to demonstrate their ability to meet TAP's quality requirements and supply necessary volumes in accordance with the pipeline's development schedule," TAP said.
Companies interested in being pre-qualified for this contract need to request a pre-qualification questionnaire from TAP no later than August 11, 2014.
Only a selected number of pre-qualified companies will be invited to participate in the subsequent tendering stages of the TAP's procurement process for large diameter valves.
Subsequent contract notices to be issued by TAP will include the pre-qualification of companies supplying steel line pipes for the onshore sections of TAP, followed by pre-qualification of companies, providing offshore pipeline construction services.
The Shah Deniz field, one of the world's largest gas-condensate fields, was discovered in 1999. Its reserves are estimated at 1.2 trillion cubic meters of gas. Overall, the field has proven to be a secure and reliable supplier of gas to Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, and Europe.
The gas which will be produced at the second stage of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz field development will be the main source of the Southern Gas Corridor, which envisages the transportation of the Caspian gas to European markets.
The Shah Deniz consortium announced the selection of TAP as the main route for transporting its gas to Europe in late June. Another pipeline which was vying for Azerbaijan's gas transportation to Europe was Nabucco West.
Azerbaijan agreed to sell over 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year from the second phase of its Shah Deniz development to nine companies in the European Union in September 2013.
The contracts were signed for 25 years between SOCAR and the European utilities, including Axpo Trading AG, Bulgargaz EAD, Depa, Gas Natural Fenosa, Hera Trading Srl, Shell Energy Europe, Enel SpA, E.ON SE, and GDF Suez SA.
The initial capacity of TAP will amount to 10 billion cubic meters per annum with the possibility of expanding to 20 billion cubic meters per annum. The TAP's construction project is planned to start in 2015.