In January, Greece met 47% of domestic demand with LNG from the region Revithusa 20% through the TAP pipeline, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said, Report informs, citing Euroactiv porta.
According to him, Russian gas, which has over time been the largest share in the country's gas import mix, fell to 33% for the first time: "From March 16 and until the end of the month, there will be a gas deficit of about half a terawatt-hour."
Mitsotakis said that Russia accounts for 26% of Greece's oil imports, while 39% of Greece's gas is imported from Russia.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said his country is 70% dependent on gas supplies from Russia's Gazprom: "The remaining 30% comes from Azerbaijan."
TAP transports natural gas from the giant Shah Deniz field in the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian Sea to Europe. 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.
On the first day of the project, which started the flow of natural gas to Europe on December 31, 2020, 10.9 million cubic meters of natural gas was transported to Europe via TAP.
TAP will facilitate gas supplies to South Eastern European countries through prospective interconnectors. In particular, Bulgaria will be able to cover up to 33% of its total gas demand through TAP after the completion of the Interconnector Greece Bulgaria (IGB). TAP's exits in Greece and Albania together with the landfall in Italy provide multiple opportunities for further transport of gas from Azerbaijan to the broader European markets.
As a key part of the Southern Gas Corridor, TAP is strategically and economically important to Europe and essential in providing reliable access to a new source of natural gas. TAP plays a significant role in boosting Europe's energy security, supply diversification, as well as decarbonisation objectives.