TAP Begins Test Flows at Albanian Section
The operator of the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) has begun pumping gas into a 4-km section of the pipeline that runs between the Greek border and a metering station in Bilisht, Albania, it said on May 22.
TAP said the step marked the initial stage of the pipeline's testing process, which aims to ensure the infrastructure is safe and ready for operations.
TAP forms the third and final section of the Southern Gas Corridor and is due to start pumping up to 10bn m3/yr of gas from Azerbaijan to southeast Europe this autumn. It connects with the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline near the Greek-Turkish border and runs through Greece, Albania and under the Adriatic Sea, making landfall in Italy.
TAP's shareholders comprise BP, Azerbaijan's Socar and Italy's Snam, each with 20%, Belgium's Fluxys with 19%, Spain's Enagas with 16% and Swiss firm Axpo with 5%.