Construction of TAP’s offshore section to start in 2018

Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 24 By Leman Zeynalova – Trend: The laying of the first stone of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline’s (TAP) offshore section is scheduled for 2018, a source in Italy’s Saipem SpA told the Natural Gas World. At this stage, the company is not involved in construction of TAP, said the source. “Saipem’s activities will begin when the micro-tunnel area will be available and we are interested in making the area available to organize the micro-tunnel operations. We are following this project with great care,” added the source. In April 2016, TAP consortium awarded to Saipem SpA the contract for Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation (EPCI) for the offshore section of the project. TAP’s 36-inch offshore pipeline across the Adriatic Sea – between the coastlines of Albania and southern Italy – will be approximately 105 kilometers in length, down to approximately 820 meters below sea level at the deepest. TAP is a part of the Southern Gas Corridor, which is one of the priority energy projects for the European Union. The project envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz Stage 2 to the EU countries. The pipeline will connect to the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italy’s south. TAP will be 878 kilometers in length (Greece 550 kilometers, Albania 215 kilometers, Adriatic Sea 105 kilometers, and Italy 8 kilometers). Its highest point will be 1,800 meters in Albania’s mountains. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn