TAP project gets new permit

TIRANA, April 9 – The Albanian National Territorial Council, headed by Prime Minister Edi Rama, approved the Compound Development Permit Phase 1 for the Trans Adriatic Project (TAP), considered to be one of the most important permits as it will authorize TAP to start its construction activities in Albania.
There will be another permit by the Ministry of Energy and Industry, to be issued on an incremental basis for different sections and phases of the TAP pipeline system development in Albania.
The construction activities will start with the upgrade and construction of access roads and bridges in Albania in 2015, and this will be followed by the pipeline laying and construction of other facilities associated with this gas transportation infrastructure.
Shkelqim Bozgo, country manager of TAP Albania, considered the permit “another major milestone in the excellent cooperation between the Albanian government and the TAP project.”
The gas, which will be produced at the second stage of Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz field development, will be the main source of the Southern Gas Corridor that will transport it to the European markets.
The Shah Deniz consortium announced the selection of TAP as the main route for transporting its gas to Europe in late June last year.
TAP’s shareholding is comprised of BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Statoil (20 percent), Fluxys (16 percent), Total (10 percent), E.ON (9 percent) and Axpo (5 percent).
TAP will be one of the largest foreign investments in Albania with a cost of construction of around 1 billion euros. It also will bring employment and support it in developing its domestic gas market and connections to regional gas networks.