The construction of the Greek section of the emblematic Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) has been completed, it was made public on Saturday.
Report informs citing the Greek media that TAP will begin operating on a trial basis as early as this December.
The article notes that the trial operation will take several months, but by 2020 the commercial operation of the pipeline will begin with the launch of natural gas deliveries to the Greek and other European markets.
"It is expected that it will start bringing natural gas to Greece, Italy, and Albania at some point next year. Later on, extensions of the pipeline will provide natural gas to most countries in the Balkans," the aticle reads.
Moreover, it is noted in the article that this has been a project of particular geopolitical and economic importance for Greece, as it contributes to the emergence of the country as a regional energy hub, adding a new source of supply to both the Greek and the rest of the European natural gas markets.
"The construction of TAP along the northern part of Greece’s mainland, in Thrace and Macedonia, has been one of the largest foreign investments the country has ever seen. Its construction cost more than €1.5 billion and began in May 2016."
The Shah Deniz Consortium officially announced the selection of the TAP pipeline on June 28, 2013. The pipeline extends to 878 km, with 550 km to run through Greece, 215 km through Albania, 105 km through the Adriatic Sea shelf, and 8 km through Southern Italy. The pipeline peak will be located in the Albanian mountains (1,800 m), the lowest on the sea shelf (-820 m).
The groundbreaking ceremony for TAP took place on May 17, 2016 in Thessaloniki, Greece. The first deliveries of Azerbaijani gas to Europe are planned in early 2020.
TAP will cover 33% of the gas demand in Bulgaria, 20% in Greece, approximately 10.5% in Italy.