TAP manager underscores favorable conditions for pipeline expansion

By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

The Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) has maximized entry flows by securing an additional 2.5 billion in capacity for this year, TAP’s Managing Director Luca Schieppati said in an interview with Italian media, Azernews reports.

“We will maintain that commitment, but we are also looking at whether additional effort can be made with the Southern Gas Corridor,” he said.

He noted that the current situation creates particularly favorable conditions for the expansion of TAP.

“Now the situation is completely different compared to the period when the TAP project started. Without any modifications, it is possible to increase the capacity of the pipeline, possibly in two stages. For the first expansion technically even three years may be enough, with the possibility of doubling it in 2027. For this, we have to modernize two existing compressor stations: one at the Greek-Turkish border and one in Albania," he said.

The Southern Gas Corridor is an initiative of the European Commission to build a natural gas supply route from the Caspian and Middle Eastern regions to Europe. The route from Azerbaijan to Europe consists of the South Caucasus Pipeline, the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP), and TAP. The pipeline is powered by natural gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz gas field in the Caspian Sea's second stage. With the completion of the TAP (Trans-Adriatic Pipeline) construction on December 31, 2020, Azerbaijan began commercial gas supplies to Europe via the Southern Gas Corridor.

Last year, TAP transported 8.1 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe. By late 2022, Azerbaijan plans to increase gas supplies to Europe to 9.1 billion cubic meters, and in 2023 the volume of gas supplies is expected to reach 11 billion cubic meters.