BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept.5. The Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) is designed to be in operation for 50 years, the ICGB, the pipeline operator, told Trend.
Meanwhile, the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), to which IGB connects, is also 50 years. But based on international pipeline industry experience, it can well be expected that the pipeline could actually be used much longer.
The estimated useful life of the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) system is expected to last until 2062. The useful life of the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP) is thirty years from 25 November 2006, the date when the pipeline was commissioned.
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’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.
As a key part of the Southern Gas Corridor, TAP is strategically and economically important to Europe and essential in providing reliable access to a new source of natural gas. TAP plays a significant role in boosting Europe’s energy security, supply diversification, as well as its decarbonization objectives.
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