Trans Adriatic Pipeline AG (TAP) has selected a joint venture comprising Renco S.p.A (Italy) and Terna S.A. (Greece) for the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) of the project’s compressor stations.

- In Greece, the award covers the provision of engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning of one compressor station at Kipoi, near the Greek-Turkish border.
- In Albania, the award covers the provision of engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning of one compressor station at Fier, and one metering station at Billisht. The metering station is designed to measure natural gas coming from the Greek section of TAP.

The construction of the compressor stations is planned to start in the second half of 2016 and it will take approximately two years to complete. The compressor stations will be built in accordance with the highest international industry standards on health and safety, located away from highly populated areas, and causing minimum impact on the environment and local communities.

The contract for the supply of six gas turbine turbo compressor units to be incorporated into the compressor stations was awarded in September 2015 to Siemens.

Ian Bradshaw, Managing Director at TAP, said: “I would like to congratulate our successful compressor stations EPC contractors – Renco S.p.A and Terna S.A. – for their strong bid as well as thank all the companies who participated in this tender process. Renco S.p.A and Terna S.A. will be responsible for further securing of additional subcontractors to implement specific parts of the contract assignments. It is expected that this will create additional employment and economic opportunities in the regions along the TAP route.”

Renco S.p.A., an Italian company founded in 1979, provides a wide variety of services including engineering and construction for energy, oil & gas and civil infrastructures sectors.

TERNA was founded in 1972 and is the construction company of GEK TERNA Group, one of the leading business groups in Greece with more than 6,000 employees in 16 countries. The current construction backlog of the Group reaches €3 billion.

In 2015, TAP has awarded several contracts: construction and rehabilitation of access roads and bridges in Albania (April 2015), large diameter ball valves and actuators (July 2015), turbo compressors (September 2015), fittings, isolating joints and scraper traps (October 2015), 270km onshore line pipe and bends (October 2015) as well as 495km of onshore line pipes (November 2015) as well as Italy onshore pipeline construction and pipeline receiving terminal (December 2015). In 2016, TAP awarded the contracts for onshore construction for the Albanian and Greek pipeline section (March 2016), offshore construction and offshore line pipes (April 2016).

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 the economic development and job creation along the pipeline route; it will be a major source of foreign direct investment and it is not dependent on grants or subsidies. With first gas sales to Georgia and Turkey targeted for late 2018, first deliveries to Europe will follow approximately in early 2020.

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