Earlier this month, the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) and the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) successfully completed their connection with the final “golden weld”, which physically connected the two pipelines.
This marks another significant milestone in the completion of the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC), a new energy route, which will increase energy security and diversification of energy supplies by bringing natural gas from “Shah Deniz 2” gas field in the Caspian Sea to Turkey and, subsequently, European markets.

The golden weld was successfully completed under the supervision of TANAP and TAP representatives at the Turkish-Greek border.

Luca Schieppati, Managing Director for TAP said: “I am very pleased that another historic step forward has been taken this month. The connection of TAP with TANAP signals that we are moving towards the completion of the Southern Gas Corridor and will be delivering gas to Europe, according to our schedule in 2020. I would like to thank TANAP, the authorities, and the Governments and all those involved in making this connection a reality.”

About the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP)

TAP will transport natural gas from the giant Shah Deniz II field in Azerbaijan to Europe. The 878 km long pipeline will connect with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) at the Turkish-Greek border at Kipoi, cross Greece and Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Southern Italy.

TAP’s routing can facilitate gas supply to several South Eastern European countries, including Bulgaria, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and others. TAP’s landfall in Italy provides multiple opportunities for further transport of Caspian natural gas to some of the largest European markets such as Germany, France, the UK, Switzerland and Austria.

TAP will promote economic development and job creation along the pipeline route; it will also be a major source of foreign direct investment. With first gas to Georgia and Turkey now being delivered, first deliveries to Europe will follow in 2020.

TAP’s shareholding is comprised of BP (20%), SOCAR (20%), Snam (20%), Fluxys (19%), Enagás (16%) and Axpo (5%).

About the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline

TANAP Project is one of the prime examples of the successful collaborative projects undertaken by Turkey and Azerbaijan in the field of energy. Augmenting and sustaining their historical bonds of brotherhood with the modern ideal of “Two States One Nation”, both Turkey and Azerbaijan place a great deal of importance in the TANAP Project, which will have repercussions throughout the global energy market. The two brotherly countries, which undertake various giant joint investments, have a long-standing strategic collaboration in the field of energy that has gained momentum with the projects of Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Oil Pipeline and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum Natural Gas Pipeline. This collaboration will become more extensive with the TANAP Project, which aims to meet the natural gas demands of Turkey and Europe as well as to ensure gas supply diversity in the region.