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TAP provides 1.2 percent of EU’s natural gas imports

12 July 2021 14:13 (UTC+04:00)
TAP provides 1.2 percent of EU’s natural gas imports

By Vugar Khalilov

Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) that transports Azerbaijani gas to European markets, provided 1.2 percent of EU natural gas imports in the first quarter of 2021, the European Commission has said in its quarterly report.

Commissioned in late 2020, the pipeline supplied about 10 TWh of energy during this period.

The EU’s gas consumption increased by 7.6 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2021, whereas local gas production decreased by 11, the report reads.

It should be noted that since the start of commercial gas transportation by TAP in December 2020, over 2 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas has been transported to Europe via a gas station in the Kipoi region of Greece. The safe transportation of gas has enabled TAP to diversify its infrastructure in many markets. The volumes of gas supplied by TAP play a key role in facilitating the energy roadmap, while providing a new reliable, safe and cost-effective source of energy for the European Union.

Connecting with Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border in Kipoi, TAP transports natural gas from the Shah Deniz field in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea to Europe. In the future, the gas from the Shah Deniz-2 field will also be transported via this route.

As a junction project of the Southern Gas Corridor, TAP will supply 10 billion cubic meters of new gas from Azerbaijan to European markets. The TAP system operates in line with international standards for quality, health, safety and environmental protection. The capacity of the pipeline allows doubling its capacity to 20 billion cubic meters per year. The pipeline passes through Greece (550 km), Albania (215 km), the bottom of the Adriatic Sea (105 km) and the Italian coast (8 km).

Moreover, connected to the Italian gas transportation network operated by Snam Rete Gas, the project creates great opportunities for the delivery of Azerbaijani gas to major European markets such as Italy, Germany, France, Great Britain, Switzerland and Austria. As a key part of the 3,500-km Southern Gas Corridor, TAP is of strategic and economic importance to Europe and provides reliable access to new natural gas sources. TAP plays an important role in strengthening Europe's energy security, diversifying supplies, and reducing carbon emissions.

The pipeline is 878 kilometers long and 48 inches in diameter. The lowest part of the TAP pipeline passes at a depth of about 810 meters above sea level, and the highest part at an altitude of 1800 meters in the mountains of Albania.

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

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