TAP to accept binding bids for capacity expansion in July
The consortium operating the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) will launch a market test in July seeking binding bids for potential expansion of its flow capacity.
TAP, which serves as the European section of the Southern Gas Corridor carrying gas from Azerbaijan, started commercial operations at the end of last year. To date it has flowed 1bn m3 of gas to customers in Italy and Greece, but its full capacity is 10bn m3/year. The TAP group, which includes BP (20%), Socar (20%), Snam (20%), Fluxys (19%), Enagas (16%) and Axpo (5%), have proposed doubling this to 20bn m3/yr.
"TAP is particularly important in southeast Europe, where several markets could directly receive additional gas," TAP's head of commercial, Marija Savova, said in a statement on March 22. "Moreover, there are open invitations to participate in the July 2021 binding bidding phase of the market test for the potential expansion of TAP's capacity."
The non-binding phase of the market test took place in 2019, and the binding phase had been due to take place in 2020 but was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.