“We have welded 94% of steel line pipes and around 84% pipes are already in the ground (back-filled),” Head of Communications at Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) Lisa Givert has told AZERTAC in an exclusive interview.

Givert mentioned that “in Greece, as of early July, 540 km of our right of way have been cleared, approximately 535 km line pipes strung, over 528 km welded, 469 km back-filled and approximately 394 km are being reinstated”.

“In Albania, approximately 205 km have been cleared and graded along our route, 202 km line pipes strung, 191 km welded and approximately 175 km back-filled. Circa 126 km are being reinstated,” she noted.

“This means that between Greece and Albania, TAP has now cleared and graded 97% of its corridor (approximately 746km out of 765km). Additionally, we have welded 94% of steel line pipes and around 84% pipes are already in the ground (back-filled),” Givert added.

Once built, TAP will offer a direct and cost-effective transportation route opening up the vital Southern Gas Corridor, a 3500-kilometre long gas value chain stretching from the Caspian Sea to Europe. TAP will transport natural gas from the giant Shah Deniz II field in Azerbaijan to Europe. The 878 km long pipeline will connect with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) at the Turkish-Greek border at Kipoi, cross Greece and Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Southern Italy.

TAP’s shareholding is comprised of BP (20%), SOCAR (20%), Snam (20%), Fluxys (19%), Enagás (16%) and Axpo (5%).