SOCAR: Work on TAP construction to continue in autumn

The work for building the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) in Italy will continue in October and November 2017.

SOCAR Deputy Vice-President for investment and marketing Vitaliy Baylarbayov said it on July 19, adding that during the summer period, construction work in Italy ceases, as required by local legislation

Baylarbayov stressed that currently there are delays but these problems will be eliminated in the near future. “I hope that the work on the TAP construction will continue and the pipeline will be ready on time,” he added.

TAP project, worth 4.5 billion euros, is one of the priority energy projects for the European Union (EU). The project envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz Stage 2 to the EU countries.

Connecting with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) at the GreekTurkish border, TAP will cross Northern Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea before coming ashore in Southern Italy to connect to the Italian natural gas network.

The project is currently in its construction phase, which started in 2016.

Once built, TAP will offer a direct and cost-effective transportation route opening up the vital Southern Gas Corridor, a 3,500-kilometer long gas value chain stretching from the Caspian Sea to Europe.

TAP shareholders include BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), SnamS.p.A. (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagás (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent).

SOCAR is a wholly state-owned national oil company headquartered in Baku, Azerbaijan. The company produces oil and natural gas from onshore and offshore fields in the Azerbaijani section of the Caspian Sea.

SOCAR participates in joint ventures (including ventures in Georgia and Turkey), consortia, and operating companies established with SOCAR’s participation.

The company includes such production associations as Azneft (the enterprises producing oil and gas onshore and offshore), Azerkimya (the chemical enterprises) and Azerigas (distributor of gas produced in the country), as well as oil and gas processing plants, service companies, and the facilities involved in geophysical and drilling operations.