BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 12. At this stage, the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) is required to install one additional compressor unit to the existing compressor station at Kipoi and to upgrade the facilities there and Early construction works at Kipoi will start in the second half of 2023, Luca Schieppati, TAP managing director, said in an exclusive interview with TurkicWorld.

He pointed out that no additional pipes will need to be added for any of the expansion scenarios.

"TAP and the Southern Gas Corridor development has been designed with flexibility to double its capacity to 20bcm/year by installing additional compressor units and stations. For the first level of expansion (1.2 bcm/a additional capacity), no additional compressor stations will be built," said TAP’s managing director.

Luca Schieppati went on to add that for the full expansion and the possible doubling of TAP’s initial capacity, two additional compressor stations will have to be built to handle the additional volume of gas to be transported via the pipeline: one in Greece, and one in Albania, provided that there is interest from the market.

"TAP’s current long-term capacity (approximately 10bcm/a) has already been allocated to the Shah Deniz shippers, in line with the exemption decision and the gas transportation agreements signed in 2013. On top of this, TAP has set aside approximately 5 percent of the initial capacity for short-term booking. This is in addition to the already booked capacity," Luca Schieppati added.

The managing director noted that TAP offers available short-term capacity to the market, according to the ENTSOG Auction Calendar and the TAP Network Code.

The Trans Adriatic Pipeline serves as a conduit for transporting natural gas from the vast Shah Deniz field located in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea to Europe. Stretching across a distance of 878 kilometers, the pipeline links up with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) at the Turkish-Greek border in Kipoi. From there, it traverses through Greece and Albania, crosses the Adriatic Sea, and eventually reaches the shores of Southern Italy.

By establishing interconnections with other pipelines, TAP will enable the provision of gas supplies to countries in Southeastern Europe. Notably, once the Interconnector Greece Bulgaria (IGB) project is completed, Bulgaria will be able to meet up to 33% of its total gas demand through TAP. With exit points in Greece and Albania, as well as its arrival in Italy, TAP offers numerous opportunities for the further transportation of Azerbaijani gas to broader European markets.

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