Azernews.Az

A groundbreaking ceremony for the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) has started in Thessaloniki, Greece, on May 17.

Attending the ceremony are such high-ranking officials as Azerbaijan's Minister of Energy Natig Aliyev, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Vice-President of the European Commission for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Greek Energy and Environment Minister Panos Skourletis, Bulgarian Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova, as well as the representatives of the project shareholder companies, including Rovnag Abdullayev, head of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR).

TAP is the third part of the Southern Gas Corridor, envisaging Azerbaijani gas supplies to Europe, along with the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP) and Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP).

TAP project envisages transportation of gas from the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz gas and condensate field to the EU countries.

The 870-kilometer pipeline will be connected to the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italy's south.

It is expected that the first gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz gas field will reach Europe via TAP in 2020.

TAP's initial capacity will be 10 billion cubic meters of gas a year, expandable to 20 billion cubic meters.

TAP shareholders are: BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam S.p.A (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagas (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent).

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz