TAP pipes welded along 80% of route in Albania, Greece

Pipes for construction of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) have been welded along more than 80 percent of the pipeline’s route in Albania and Greece, states a message from TAP AG consortium.

“TAP pipes are welded above ground. All welds are subject to automatic testing, to ensure they meet national and international standards. Pipes along more than 80 percent of our route in Greece and Albania (over 615km out of 765km) are now welded,” reads the press release.

TAP, worth 4.5 billion euros, 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 TANAP on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italy’s south.

TAP is slated to be 878 kilometers in length (Greece 550 kilometers, Albania 215 kilometers, Adriatic Sea 105 kilometers, and Italy 8 kilometers).

TAP’s shareholding is comprised of BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam S.p.A. (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagas (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent).

SCAN