TAP Consults on Capacity Upgrade Plans

European pipeline system operators TAP, Italian Snam Rete Gas and Greek Desfa opened the month-long public consultation of the draft proposal to boost the capacity of the TransAdriatic Pipeline (TAP) January 20. The joint public consultation lasts until February 21 and there has already been sufficient interest expressed in the open season that ended in the summer to consider two alternatives.

The document considers two alternatives for the boost at the start-point on the Greece-Turkey border: an upgrade from 10bn m³/yr to 17.8bn m³/yr, which would cost €965mn ($1.1bn); and to 21.7bn m³, at a cost of €1.382bn. Further costs will depend on adding more capacity to the existing pipelines.

There are five interconnection points where capacity may be booked, if sufficient demand is finalised: the Turkey-Greece border, Nea Mesimvria in Greece, Korca and Fier in Albania, and Melendugno in Italy. Phase 1 of TAP is due to start commercial flows this year, although there have been local problems with permitting at the Italian end, where the pipeline makes landfall.