Albania may renegotiate terms on TAP gas pipeline project
The Albanian government has started talks with the aim of renegotiating the agreement on the Trans Atlantic Pipeline (TAP) project to secure similar benefits to those enjoyed by the other countries involved in the project, bne IntelliNews portal reported on April 19 citing Edi Rama, Albanian prime minister as saying.
"Negotiations on the revised agreement are expected to end soon," Rama said, but he did not specify exactly what benefits Tirana hopes to secure.
"To date, 56 percent of the work in the TAP first phase of the construction of access roads and bridges has been completed," Rama said. "It is expected that the construction and rehabilitation of 100 km of roads and 43 bridges to be concluded by the end of 2016 with investments in this part of the project exceeding €60 million."
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.
TAP's initial capacity will be 10 billion cubic meters of gas a year, expandable to 20 billion cubic meters.
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