Turkey meets for TAP project partners in Thessaloniki
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Berat Albayrak will visit Thessaloniki Tuesday to attend the groundbreaking ceremony of the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which will transport natural gas from Azerbaijan to Europe.
Under the exclusive invitation of Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Greek Energy Minister Panos Skurletis, top professionals from Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Albania and Italy will witness the beginning of the pipeline's construction, which will carry natural gas from the Shah Deniz oil field in the Caspian Sea to European countries via Turkey and Greece.
Albayrak is expected to hold a series of meetings with other top officials from participating countries before and after the ceremony. The TAP pipeline will cut horizontally through Turkey, and 550 kilometers of pipeline is slated for construction in Greece. TAP construction work will then continue in Albania before the pipeline reaches Italy via the Adriatic Sea, aiming to meet the demand for natural gas in Europe.
The TAP pipeline has great importance for all countries involved in the project. In the first phase of the project, it is expected to carry 10 billion cubic meters of gas annually, and the capacity is expected to increase to 20 billion cubic meters in the second phase. Stable energy cooperation between the participating countries ensures that peace and stability will be maintained. Also, many countries are expected to benefit economically from the giant project with the employment opportunities it creates and the fees paid by the countries purchasing the natural gas.
Many firms are expected to participate in the construction of the pipeline, with construction work starting in June and expected to be finished by 2020. These firms include British Petroleum with 20 percent, State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) with 20 percent, Italy-based Snam SpA with 20 percent, Belgian-based Fluxys with 19 percent, Spain-based Enagas with 16 percent and Switzerland-based Axpo with 5 percent.
Under the exclusive invitation of Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Greek Energy Minister Panos Skurletis, top professionals from Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Albania and Italy will witness the beginning of the pipeline's construction, which will carry natural gas from the Shah Deniz oil field in the Caspian Sea to European countries via Turkey and Greece.
Albayrak is expected to hold a series of meetings with other top officials from participating countries before and after the ceremony. The TAP pipeline will cut horizontally through Turkey, and 550 kilometers of pipeline is slated for construction in Greece. TAP construction work will then continue in Albania before the pipeline reaches Italy via the Adriatic Sea, aiming to meet the demand for natural gas in Europe.
The TAP pipeline has great importance for all countries involved in the project. In the first phase of the project, it is expected to carry 10 billion cubic meters of gas annually, and the capacity is expected to increase to 20 billion cubic meters in the second phase. Stable energy cooperation between the participating countries ensures that peace and stability will be maintained. Also, many countries are expected to benefit economically from the giant project with the employment opportunities it creates and the fees paid by the countries purchasing the natural gas.
Many firms are expected to participate in the construction of the pipeline, with construction work starting in June and expected to be finished by 2020. These firms include British Petroleum with 20 percent, State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) with 20 percent, Italy-based Snam SpA with 20 percent, Belgian-based Fluxys with 19 percent, Spain-based Enagas with 16 percent and Switzerland-based Axpo with 5 percent.