TAP pipeline to carry Azerbaijan gas to EU via Turkey, Greece, Italy

The project to carry gas from Azerbaijan to Europe in the Trans-Adriatic-Pipeline through Turkey and Greece is officially confirmed, marking a possible economic gamechanger in the region

The operators of the Shah Deniz 2 field – BP, Statoil, Azeri state energy firm SOCAR, Total, and others – officially announced June 28 in Baku that they had chosen the Trans-Adriatic-Pipeline (TAP) to carry Azeri gas to Europe across Greece, Albania and Turkey, rather than the Nabucco West project.

“Azerbaijan’s first gas to Europe will be exported via the TAP pipeline,” said the consortium’s spokesperson Gordon Birrell, who is also BP regional president for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey.

The TAP pipeline will collect Azerbaijani gas in Turkey via another gas pipeline, the Trans-Anatolian Gas Pipeline (TANAP) and carry it across Greece and Albania before reaching southern Italy, stretching a total of 870 kilometers (540 miles).