Trans-Adriatic gas pipeline (TAP), a pipeline receiving terminal in the Italian municipality of Melendugno, some 8.2 kilometers away from the Adriatic coast, is 83 % complete. At the same time, the construction of the pipeline’s offshore section across the Adriatic Sea is 40 % complete, according to TAP AG, a company in charge of the construction and operation of TAP.
The consortium reminded that the underwater laying began in February 2020. The laying of the sea line and the fiber optic cable is currently in progress and is expected to be completed by the end of May.
Once operational, the pipeline will allow the transportation of 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year, ensuring new energy supplies sufficient to meet the needs of 7 million families and strengthening the security and diversification of the supply sources of Italy and the European continent.
TAP project envisages 878 km long pipeline that will connect to the Trans-Anatolian (TANAP) near the Turkish-Greek border and cross Greece, Albania and Adriatic Sea before reaching its final destination in Italy. Current shareholders of TAP AG are British Petroleum (20 %), Azeri state-owned SOCAR (20 %), Italian Snam (20 %), Belgian Fluxys (19 %), Spanish Enagas (16 %) and Swiss Axpo with 5 % of the shares. The initial capacity of the pipeline is 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year, with an option to expand the capacity to 20 billion cubic meters. The cost of the project was initially estimated at some 6 billion euros, but in 2016 CEO of TAP AG Ian Bradshaw confirmed that the construction should cost 4.5 million euros. The construction of the Greek section of the pipeline was launched on 17 May 2016, while construction works on the Albanian section started on 30 September same year. The works on the 105 kilometers long offshore section between Albania and Italy started in October 2018.
