On Tuesday 17 May, the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) marked the start of construction of the pipeline project, a strategic piece of the Southern Gas Corridor infrastructure, which will bring initial volumes of gas from Azerbaijan to Europe.

Hosted by Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Thessaloniki, the ceremony was attended by EU Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič, shareholders from BP, SOCAR, Snam, Fluxys, Enagás and Axpo and delegations from all States directly or indirectly involved in the project.  It came to end with the signing of a pipe casing.

Identified as one of the EU’s projects of common interest, TAP will be an 878 km long gas pipeline running from Komotini in Greece to Puglia in Italy, via Albania.

It will also connect with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) at the Turkish-Greek border at Kipoi, so to transport natural gas from the Giant Shah Deniz II field in Azerbaijan.

A  Source of energy, Employment and Development

“Once complete, said Šefčovič, “TAP will be a major asset in European energy security tool box. By opening up access to gas from Azerbaijan, TAP will allow many countries, including in Central and South East Europe to diversify their sources of gas.

Besides facilitating gas supply along the pipeline route to several South Eastern European countries – including Bulgaria, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and others – TAP is expected be a major source of foreign direct investment, economic development and jobs.

Furthermore, as its landfall will be in Italy, multiple opportunities will arise for further transport of Caspian natural gas to some of the largest European markets such as Germany, France, the UK, Switzerland and Austria.

A Strategic Piece of the Southern Gas Corridor

Alongside the two other related pipeline projects – the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) which runs across Turkey and the Southern Caucasus Pipeline (SCP), which runs through Azerbaijan and Georgia – TAP will open up the Southern Gas Corridor.

“Southern Gas Corridor will be vital for reaching the Energy Union objectives of diversification of sources, routes and energy security. Therefore timely completion is crucial so that gas from the new suppliers can flow to Europe by 2020,” Šefčovič added.

First deliveries to Europe will follow approximately With first gas sales to Georgia and Turkey targeted for late 2018, one year later in early 2020. Initially, approximately 10 billion cubic meters of gas will flow along the Southern Gas Corridor route when it opens in 2019-2020.

However, given the potential supplies from the Caspian region – and potentially also from the Middle East, and the East Mediterranean in the future – the EU aims to increase this volume in the long-term.