September 9, 2017

by AEA in News

TAP receives around 95% of total pipes needed for construction

By Leman Zeynalova:

Approximately 95 percent of the total 55,000 pipes to be used for the construction of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) have been received in Greece, Albania and Italy, said the message from TAP AG.

The last shipment of offshore line pipes has been offloaded in Brindisi, Italy, between 3 and 6 September 2017.

TAP’s contractors have cleared approximately 70 percent of the project route in Greece and Albania (539km out of 765km). Also, over 45 percent of welded steel pipes are already in the ground (backfilled).

“We are pleased that TAP continues to progress on time and on budget. We therefore remain on track to deliver the first Shah Deniz II gas in 2020, bringing a much-needed new source of energy into the European energy network,” said TAP Managing Director Luca Schieppati.

“I want to underline that our project is built with the utmost care for the environment. Our teams are working very carefully along our route to ensure that the land on which construction has been completed is returned to the owners or users in its original condition or better. We are also collaborating with local authorities and local stakeholders to ensure that the benefits of our project are tangible across all those communities crossed by the pipeline,” Schieppati added.

Nearly 2,500 tie-ins have been completed as part of the implementation of TAP project in Greece and Albania, TAP AG consortium said in a message on its Twitter page.

“This is the construction step where 2 pipe strings (~1km) are welded together inside the trench,” said the message.

TAP is a part of the Southern Gas Corridor, which is one of the priority energy projects for the European Union. The project envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz Stage 2 to the EU countries.

The pipeline will connect to the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italy’s south.

TAP will be 878 kilometers in length (Greece 550 kilometers, Albania 215 kilometers, Adriatic Sea 105 kilometers, and Italy 8 kilometers).

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

Source : Trend

September 9, 2017

by AEA in News

Albania, Montenegro Eye EU Funding for Gas Pipeline

Albania’s Energy Ministry on Friday presented a feasibility study for a 618-million-euros gas corridor between Albania, Bosnia and Croatia, which it hopes the EU and US will support.

Albania’s Ministry of Energy on Friday in Tirana unveiled a preliminary feasibility study for a proposed Ionian-Adriatic gas pipeline, hoping the EU may fund construction of the section of the pipeline between Albania and Montenegro.

Damian Gjiknuri, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, said Albania had a strong interest in the pipeline project, which could help gasify the country. “We hope for support from the EU and the US [for the project],” he said.

The 511-km-long pipeline, expected to cost up to 618 million euros, aims to link the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline with Montenegro, Bosnia and Croatia.

The feasibility study calls for a new pipeline with a capacity of 5 billion cubic meters per year, BCM, from which Albania and Bosnia hope to consume 1 BCM each, Montenegro 0.5 BCM while Croatia, the biggest and the strongest economy in the Western Balkans, is expected to consume 2.5 BCM per year.

The US Ambassador to Tirana, Donald Lu, expressed America’s support for the project, as a way to obtain a new source of energy that is not dependent on Russia, and as a means to strengthen regional energy collaboration.

The Albanian Energy Ministry said that, in collaboration with the European Commission, its Directory for Energy and the Ministry of Economy of Montenegro had presented a proposal to the Western Balkans Investment Framework, hoping it will finance the development of the project for the sections in Albania and Montenegro.

The Trans-Adriatic Pipeline is currently under construction. It is expected to ship gas from Azerbaijan to Italy through existing pipelines in Turkey and Greece and through a new pipeline running from Greece to Italy through Albania and under the Adriatic Sea.

The pipeline will have an exit point near Fieri, in Albania, which creates hopes of getting new energy supplies for all Western Balkan countries.

They all have large energy deficits and are heavily dependent on coal to generate electricity. Albania and Montenegro have large hydropower capacities but they are not sufficient to cover all their energy needs.

A gas network could help both countries to produce electricity by burning gas and substitute the use of electricity in some functions like heating, thus limiting the need to use coal and protecting the environment at the same time.

Source: Balkaninsight

September 9, 2017

by AEA in News

IAP project counts on EU, US support

The countries involved in the construction of the Ionian-Adriatic Pipeline (IAP), Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia count on the support of the European Union and the United States.

The remarks were made during the meeting of the Project Management Unit for IAP project held in Tirana.

Addressing the event, Albania’s Energy Minister Damian Gjiknuri stated that his country has completed the drafting of the Gas Master Plan and has built a fruitful cooperation with Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and the Energy Community for the implementation of the IAP project.

He expressed confidence that this project will be supported by both the United States and the European Union, said the message posted on the website of Albanian energy ministry.

Of course, the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) project is really the main pillar to support the development of the gas sector in Albania, but IAP pipeline will also play a primary role, said Gjiknuri.

IAP is not just a natural extension of TAP, said the minister, adding that it will also ensure energy security in the region and bring economic progress to the countries through which it passes.

“We point out that three of the IAP countries are NATO member countries and this makes the IAP project even more necessary in terms of strategic interests in the region,” said Gjiknuri.

IAP is a proposed natural gas pipeline in Southeastern Europe (SEE) that will stretch from Albania through Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, to Split in Croatia. It will be connected with the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP).

IAP will provide deliveries of Azerbaijani gas to several countries of South-Eastern Europe. The capacity of the pipeline will amount to five billion cubic meters of gas per year.

The pipeline will connect to the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italy’s south.

TAP will be 878 kilometers in length (Greece 550 kilometers, Albania 215 kilometers, Adriatic Sea 105 kilometers, and Italy 8 kilometers).

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

February 12, 2017

by AEA in News

Albania’s Gas Master Plan sets out an Exciting Future

Interestingly enough, the gas sector once played an important role in Albania and the country was a relatively large gas producer. In 1982, gas production amounted to one billion cubic metres but has now dropped to mere 0.01 billion cubic metres. It is worth noting that Albania and Kosovo are the only countries in the Western Balkan region which are not connected to international natural gas networks.

The existing oil network, which is 498 km long, is not in a good shape, either. It connects all the existing sources of oil, with the exception of the pipeline that connects the natural oil wells in Delvina with the Ballsh pipeline (the latest one being renovated), but it is no longer functional. Most of it is corroded and defective which makes its use unviable. Consequently, a new oil transmission and supplying system is needed.

August 17, 2015

by AEA in News

TAP vital to European energy security

The Trans-Adriatic Pipeline project, which envisages the transportation of gas from the second stage of development of Azerbaijan’s giant Shah Deniz gas condensate field in the Caspian Sea to the European Union countries, has already ensured its strategic role in the EU’s energy security.

Recently, the TAP project, which is the western part of the Southern Gas Corridor that goes from the Greek/Turkish border to Italy through Albania, has been included in the European Commission’s list of 33 priority energy security Projects of Common Interest.

The EC, in a positive decision to grant exemption to the pipeline from third party access, highlighted the “overall positive impact for the EU of this investment as it is responding directly to the Security of Supply objective of diversification of gas sources, routes and counterparties”.

Also, the European Investment Bank reported that it is considering providing a 2 billion euro loan to the TAP project, pending approval from the Board of Directors of the bank.

All of these facts show EU desires for the implementation of TAP. As the pipeline’s fame increases by the day, countries show great interest in acquiring shares in the project.

In July, a source in the Turkish government told Trend that Turkey intends to acquire shares in the TAP project. The source said that the acquisition of a stake in TAP is a historic opportunity for Turkey, and Ankara is not going to miss it. Currently the issue is being considered, according to the source.

TAP is meant to transport gas from the Caspian region via Greece, Albania, and the Adriatic Sea to southern Italy and further to Western Europe. The pipeline’s total length is about 870 kilometers.

The construction of the pipeline is scheduled to start on May 16, 2016. TAP’s initial capacity will be 10 billion cubic meters per year, expandable to 20 billion cubic meters per year.

The construction of TAP will not only provide European countries with Azerbaijani gas, but also pave the way for establishing a significant gas pipeline and infrastructure network in the region.

Shares of TAP are held by BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Statoil (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagás (16 percent), and Axpo (5 percent).

By Aynur Karimova