TAP can be used for gas transit to Ukraine and Moldova

The gas transmission operators in Greece and the region are looking at how to leverage existing networks like the Trans-Balkan pipeline to deliver gas from Alexandroupolis and TAP to markets as far north as Ukraine and Moldova, US Ambassador to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt said at the presentation of the Energizing Greece initiative, Report informs.

"This too would further reduce Gazprom's monopoly power in eastern Europe and therefore Russia's political leverage over the countries of the region," he said.

The event in Alexandroupolis focused on the transition to green energy and the role of this port as a strategic energy hub in Southeastern Europe.

The ambassador stressed progress on several major energy projects over the recent year, such as the TAP pipeline, interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB), and FSRU.

Moldova can get access to Azerbaijani gas through the Trans-Adriatic gas pipeline by connecting to it through the Ungheni-Chisinau gas pipeline. The 120-kilometer Ungheni-Chisinau gas pipeline will complete the unification of the gas transmission systems of Romania and Moldova.

In the future, the Serbia-Bulgaria pipeline will also be connected to the Trans-Adriatic Gas Pipeline, which is the European branch of the Southern Gas Corridor. This is envisaged through the IGB, which is expected to enter commercial operation from July 2022.

Earlier, Elshad Nasirov, vice president for investments and marketing of Azerbaijan's state-owned SOCAR, announced the potential of expanding the Southern Gas Corridor to provide energy sources in massive demand in the Western Balkans. The Western Balkans include Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Kosovo.

The total length of TAP is 878 km, of which 550 km passes through the northern part of Greece, 215 km through the territory of Albania, 105 km through the Adriatic Sea, and 8 km through Italy.

The gas pipeline is designed to transport natural gas from the Shah Deniz field in Azerbaijan. The throughput of the gas pipeline can be doubled, up to 20 billion cubic meters per year.