The European Commission welcomed the start of the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) operations, the last stretch of the Southern gas corridor, thanks to which gas pumped from the Shah Deniz offshore gas field in Azerbaijan started reaching Italy, Report informs, citing Euractiv.
Commission spokesperson Tim McPhie said the EU executive "welcomes the start of the TAP operation, which connects Greece to Italy through Albania, bringing Caspian gas to consumers in the EU."
"The project will increase choice and competition, improve energy security and diversify gas supply, particularly in Italy, Greece, and Bulgaria, as well as the South-East European region. TAP is a project of EU common interest and an important part of the Southern gas corridor", McPhie emphasized.
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.
The pipeline has a capacity of 10 billion cubic meters a year (bcm/y) and is designed with the potential to double its throughput capacity to 20 bcm/y. Shah Deniz is expected to reach peak output in 2023, around the time TAP would also hit full capacity.