TAP natural gas pipeline begins commercial service

Nov. 16, 2020
The 10-billion cu m/year (bcmy) Trans Adriatic Pipeline has begun commercial operations. The start of natural gas shipments on the 878-km pipeline comes four and a half years after the start of construction.

The 10-billion cu m/year (bcmy) Trans Adriatic Pipeline has begun commercial operations. The start of natural gas shipments on the 878-km pipeline comes 4 1/2 years after the start of construction.

TAP is the European leg of the 3,500-km Southern Gas Corridor, connecting with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline at the Turkish-Greek border and crossing Greece (550 km), Albania (215 km), and the Adriatic Sea (105 km in as much a 810 m of water), before coming ashore in Italy (8 km). It delivers gas from Shah Deniz field in the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian Sea to markets in Europe and is expandable to 20-bcmy.

Earlier this year TAP agreed to market its transportation capacity through the Prisma European Capacity Platform (OGJ Online, Apr. 21, 2020).

The pipeline is owned by BP (20%), State Oil Co. of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR, 20%), Snam SPA (20%), Fluxys SA (19%), Enagás SA (16%), and Axpo Holding AG (5%).