TAP due to start excavation phase to connect two sections

18 January 2019 12:47 (UTC+04:00)

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TAP AG, the consortium for construction of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), will soon start excavation phase that will allow to connect the part of the gas pipeline that arrives by sea from Albania with the short stretch on land in Italy, Trend reports citing a message from the consortium.

The final part of this connection, about 1.5 kilometers long, will be realized using the microtunnel technology, said the message.

“The excavation will be carried out at 16 meters below the beach and therefore there will be no interference with what is happening on the surface, nor will there be any limitation of access to those areas for citizens,” the consortium said.

TAP project, worth 4.5 billion euros, is one of the priority energy projects for the European Union (EU). The project envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz Stage 2 to the EU countries.

Connecting with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) at the Greek-Turkish border, TAP will cross Northern Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea before coming ashore in Southern Italy to connect to the Italian natural gas network.

The project is currently in its construction phase, which started in 2016.

Once built, TAP will offer a direct and cost-effective transportation route opening up the vital Southern Gas Corridor, a 3,500-kilometer long gas value chain stretching from the Caspian Sea to Europe.

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