TAP establishes country offices in Greece, Albania and Italy

TIRANA, Jan 20ؔhe Trans Adriatic Pipeline project completed registration of its permanent country offices in Greece, Albania and Italy.
Country offices will support TAP in liaising with the authorities in the host countries, in preparing and submitting all necessary applications as well as in providing information about the project to the local public and media.
Michael Hoffmann, External Relations Director of TAP, said, “The opening of the new offices in Greece, Albania and Italy is another sign of TAP’s continuous progress. These permanent representations will help us develop stronger relationships with local stakeholders and further create trust in TAP.”
The Albanian government has expressed its fully support for the TAP project several times.
At the Albanian-Turkish business forum in Tirana on the 11th of December 2009, Mr. Driftan Prifti, Minister of Economy, Trade and Energy of Albania, said, “… one of the most important investments between Albania and Turkey would be the gas pipelines that go from Turkey to AlbaniaŠhere I mention the Trans Adriatic Pipeline project…”
On the 14th of December Minister Prifti once again promised support from his Ministry to the project during a meeting with Robert Klein, Managing Director of TAP, and TAP’s Shareholders (Statoil & EGL), in Tirana.
The TAP project seems to be increasingly attractive option compared to other projected pipelines. L’Agefi, a Swiss financial newspaper, published an article in December 2009 “At the heart of the gas war” describing the challenging situation in the Southern Gas Corridor and prospects of pipeline projects including Trans Adriatic Pipeline, Nabucco and South Stream.
The article suggested that the TAP project is more competitive than Nabucco because it costs less and has contracted gas supplies.
The newspaper also mentioned that the European Union continues to show interest in TAP by providing financial support to the project. In December, TAP received a second grant from the European Commission in the framework of the Trans European Energy Networks (TEN-E) programme for completing the Basic Engineering Studies
According to the newspaper, the European Commission expects the EU to import 80% of its gas by 2030, compared to 58% in 2005. The Trans Adriatic Pipeline will be able to help Europe meet its growing energy needs by providing a new transportation link to the gas resources in the Caspian and Middle East regions. TAP will be the shortest and most cost effective gas transit route of all the pipeline projects currently being supported by the EU within the Southern Gas Corridor.
The 520km-long pipeline will start in Greece near Thessaloniki, cross Albania and the Adriatic Sea and come ashore in Italy near Brindisi, allowing gas to flow directly from the Caspian basin and Middle East into European markets.
The pipeline has a design capacity of 10 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas per year, expandable to 20 bcm per year depending on throughput.
The project also envisages the development of natural gas storage facilities in Albania to further ensure security of supply during operational interruptions of gas deliveries.
First deliveries are expected in 2012.