Azernews.Az

By Aynur Karimova

Greece has revealed the date and place of laying the foundation of the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline, a part of the Azerbaijan-initiated giant Southern Gas Corridor envisaging transportation of Shah Deniz gas to European consumers.

Greek media reported on March 31 with reference to Environment and Energy Minister, Panos Skourletis that the ceremony will be held in Thessaloniki on May 17.

The Greek minister said that a number of high-ranking officials will attend the ceremony, as the TAP is the most important project, which will allow creating a large number of jobs.

TAP is meant to transport gas from the Caspian region via Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea to southern Italy and further to Western Europe. The pipeline’s total length is about 870 kilometers.

TAP’s initial capacity will be 10 billion cubic meters per year, expandable to 20 billion cubic meters per year.

The construction of TAP will not only provide European countries with Azerbaijani gas, but also pave the way for establishing a significant gas pipeline and infrastructure network in the region.

Greece, a Southern European nation with economic difficulties, sees TAP not just a major investment, but also a significant geopolitical tool for this country.

Earlier, TAP's country Manager for Greece, Rikard Skoufias said that there were no clouds on the horizon for the project and that cooperation with Athens is smooth and steady in all aspects.

"Already 150 Greek companies have been selected as prospective suppliers for works on the pipeline," he added.

Greece has repeatedly expressed a desire to get Azerbaijani gas as soon as possible and assured to have necessary infrastructure for supply of Caspian blue fuel via the multi-billion Southern Gas Corridor.

The Southern Gas Corridor project envisages the transportation of the gas to be extracted from the giant Shah Deniz field in the Azerbaijani section of the Caspian Sea. Shah Deniz Stage 2 gas will make a 3,500 kilometer journey from the Caspian Sea into Europe.

The first gas supplies through the corridor to Georgia and Turkey are given a target date of late 2018. Gas deliveries to Europe are expected just over a year after the first gas is produced offshore in Azerbaijan.

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Aynur Karimova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova

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