Page 12 - FSUOGM Week 27

FSUOGM PIPELINES & TRANSPORT FSUOGM

TAP asks for more time to launch

gas flows to Italy

ITALY ITALIAN regulators have granted the develop- South Caucasus Pipeline Expansion (SCPX) and
ers of the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) until the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP), were
TAP says gas flows will December 2021 to launch gas flows from Azer- brought on stream in 2018, enabling Turkey to
start by the end of this baijan to Italy, the project’s consortium told Platts ramp up purchases of Azeri gas.
year, but it has asked on July 2, while insisting its goal is still to start TAP, which runs from western Turkey
the regulator for until supplies in the fourth quarter of this year. through Greece, Albania, and under the Adriatic
December 2021 to “The TAP project is more than 96% complete Sea to Italy, had been expected to start pumping
reach that step. and reconfirms the target of transporting first gas gas in mid-2020. But its launch was later pushed
to Europe [in] 2020," a group spokesman told back to October this year, reportedly because of
Platts. But he said the consortium had neverthe- environmental opposition to construction in
less asked for more time from regulators, in case Italy.
of further obstacles beyond its control. “The project has faced several major
TAP, whose shareholders include BP (20%), impacts, beyond its control, mainly with ref-
Azerbaijan’s SOCAR (20%), Italy’s Snam (20%), erence to permitting/regulatory obstacles, sev-
Belgium’s Fluxys (19%), Spain’s Enagas (16%) eral safety and security breaches, suspension
and Switzerland’s Axpo (5%), secured an exemp- of construction activity due to multiple legal
tion from certain European provisions in 2013. proceedings, unforeseen geotechnical/natural
This was conditional on the pipeline becoming events, as well as the wide-ranging effects of the
operational within six years, or by June 2019. [coronavirus] COVID-19 pandemic and other
TAP obtained in 2014 a first extension until factors mentioned above,” TAP told Platts.
December 2020, and has now received a second “TAP will endeavour to commence first gas
until December 2021. deliveries by the end of the year. Nonetheless,
TAP forms the third and final section of the should the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic
Southern Gas Corridor (SGC), a $40bn net- persist, TAP will continue to hold a valid TPA
work of pipelines running from Azerbaijan to exemption beyond 2020, complying with the
Italy. The first two sections of the network, the European regulation.” ™

P12 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 27 08•July•2020