PremiumTAP starts early works for ramping up gas supplies (Exclusive)

BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 20. The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) consortium has started the early works for ramping up gas transportation, TAP AG consortium told Trend.

"Following the closing of the first binding bid phase of the 2021 Market Test, TAP has now triggered the first level of expansion and allocated an additional 1.2 billion cubic meters of incremental capacity per year through long term contracts starting from 2026. TAP will add one compressor unit (ca 15MW) to the existing compressor station at Kipoi, Greece and upgrade the facilities there," said TAP AG.

The consortium said the early works started this month, and they consist of civil works associated with the preparation for the new tie-ins within the compressor station.

Luca Schieppati, TAP managing director, said earlier in an exclusive interview with Trend that no additional pipes will need to be added for any of the expansion scenarios.

"TAP and the Southern Gas Corridor development has been designed with flexibility to double its capacity to 20bcm/year by installing additional compressor units and stations. For the first level of expansion (1.2 bcm/a additional capacity), no additional compressor stations will be built," said TAP’s managing director.

Luca Schieppati went on to add that for the full expansion and the possible doubling of TAP’s initial capacity, two additional compressor stations will have to be built to handle the additional volume of gas to be transported via the pipeline: one in Greece, and one in Albania, provided that there is interest from the market.

TAP transports natural gas from the giant Shah Deniz field in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea to Europe. The 878 km long pipeline connects with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) at the Turkish-Greek border in Kipoi, crosses Greece and Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Southern Italy.

TAP facilitates gas supplies to South Eastern European countries through existing and prospective interconnectors. TAP is connected to Interconnector Greece Bulgaria (IGB) which started its commercial operations in October 2022, providing Caspian gas to Bulgaria, enhancing security of energy supplies in one more European country. TAP’s exits in Greece and Albania, together with the landfall in Italy provide multiple opportunities for further transport of gas from Azerbaijan to the wider European markets.