The Greek section of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) will be approximately 465 km long and will commence at Komotini, where it ties into the national grid system. The pipeline will then cross Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, coming ashore in southern Italy.

Rikard Scoufias, TAP's Country Manager in Greece, said “TAP’s independent natural gas system (INGS) submission follows shortly after on our third party access exemption application last month and constitutes a key element of the final steps towards concluding the permitting process for construction of the TAP pipeline.”

TAP AG has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding and Co-operation (MOUC) with Geoplin plinovodi to support the development of natural gas markets in southeast Europe and to enhance security of supply to this region. This is the latest in a series of strategic initiatives led by TAP AG, with similar MOUCs signed with Plinacro, BH-GAS and the governments of Montenegro and Albania earlier this year.

Under the terms of the agreement, Geoplin plinovodi will participate in the TAP-IAP working group. This group evaluates areas of potential co-operation, ranging from the alignment of overall schedules and sharing of best practice, to facilitating the mutual understanding of each project’s technical requirements. This will include capacity needs, new construction and upgrades of existing infrastructure, the co-ordination of maintenance, and environmental and social impact assessments.

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The MOUC also provides Geoplin plinovodi the potential to access new natural gas supplies from the Caspian region via the proposed Ionian Adriatic Pipeline (IAP), a 516 km pipeline that will interconnect with the TAP system at a tie-in point in Albania, and which will deliver 5 Bcm/a of gas to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Albania.

TAP’s shareholders include EGL, Statoil and E.ON Ruhrgas. The project is expected to commence pipeline operations from Shah Deniz in 2017/18, in time for first gas export west of Turkey.