BAKU, Azerbaijan, Nov.20
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
Greece and North Macedonia are constructing an interconnector so that the latter would be able to receive Azerbaijani gas via the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), said Greek Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Kostas Fragogiannis, Trend reports.
He made the remarks during the Conference "Southeast Europe & East Med: New strategies, New Ρerspectives" with the title “Greece as a Pillar of Stability in the Eastern Mediterranean” in Washington, US.
“Given that the energy sector is one of the central pillars of economic growth and competitiveness, Greece's main goal is to maximize energy security by fully supporting the balanced diversification of sources, suppliers and routes and the development of indigenous natural gas resources and Renewable Energy Sources,” said Fragogiannis.
He pointed out that due to its geographical position, Greece has the potential to become a European gateway, as well as an energy transit country for the wider region.
“In this context, a significant number of energy infrastructure projects are under way in Greece, with the support and contribution of the EU, such as:
• the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which will transport natural gas from Azerbaijan to Italy and, from there, all the way to central Europe (which is almost completed)
• the Interconnector between Greece and Bulgaria (IGB), which will link the gas networks of the two countries,
• the Interconnector between Greece and North Macedonia which will allow our northern neighbor to be supplied by TAP transported gas, and
• the construction of the floating LNG storage and regasification unit (FSRU) in Alexandroupolis, with the aim of obtaining energy security the wider region, while exploiting the potential of the LNG sector.
We do not -however- put all our eggs in a single basket. Our aim is to become an energy hub catering to gas supplies from a variety of sources: Natural gas from Russia and Azerbaijan, LNG from the US, Algeria and other sources - we want to be able to accommodate them all. We also follow with great interest the ongoing developments in the Eastern Mediterranean,” noted the deputy minister.
TAP project, worth 4.5 billion euros, is one of the priority energy projects for the European Union (EU). The project envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz Stage 2 to the EU countries.
Connecting with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) at the Greek-Turkish border, TAP will cross Northern Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea before coming ashore in Southern Italy to connect to the Italian natural gas network.
---
Follow the author on Twitter:@Lyaman_Zeyn
