The Trans Adriatic Pipeline AG (TAP) has awarded the contracts for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of approximately 760km of cross-country onshore pipeline - 48 inches (1.2m) in diameter - in Greece and Albania. TAP’s construction is split into five lots (or sections) – three lots in Greece and two lots in Albania.
- The joint venture comprised of Bonatti S.p.A (Italy) and J&P AVAX S.A (Greece) has been awarded the EPC contract for two lots in northern Greece. The sections cover approximately 360km of pipeline, stretching between Kavala and Ieropigi (Albanian border).
- SPIECAPAG (France) has been awarded the EPC contract for a 185km lot in Greece, between Kipoi and Kavala, as well as two lots in Albania (215km in total), stretching from Bilisht to Topoje. SPIECAPAG will also carry out the pipeline river crossing at the Greek-Turkish border, where TAP will be connecting to the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP).
Selected mobilisation of the EPC contractors will begin immediately and continue in the second quarter of 2016, in line with the project’s schedule to begin construction activities mid-2016. TAP’s EPC contractors will be responsible for further securing additional subcontractors to implement specific parts of the contract assignment.
Ian Bradshaw, Managing Director at TAP, said: “The contracts for the construction of our pipeline’s onshore section are the largest that TAP will award. I want to congratulate Bonatti S.p.A, J&P AVAX S.A and SPIECAPAG for submitting bids that are not only technically robust and competitive but also in line with the highest standards and industry best practice.”
Bonatti is an integral solution provider in oil & gas field activities with 70 years of experience facing challenging projects under the most critical environmental and logistical conditions in remote locations, combining advanced methods and technologies. Bonatti ranks among the largest pipeline international contractors, with a strong record of thousand km of pipes laid around the world.
J&P-AVAX Group is one of the largest construction groups in Greece, having also extensive activities abroad. Listed in the main market of the Athens Exchange since 1994, J&P Avax has extensive experience in oil and natural gas pipeline construction as well as LNG stations and thermal power plants.
SPIECAPAG has a history of unmatched success extending over almost a century. Throughout these years the company has safely delivered the most challenging pipelines in the world with over 50,000 kilometres of pipeline and has become a major international pipeline and facilities contractor. Today, SPIECAPAG is a fully owned subsidiary of ENTREPOSE Group, a company of the VINCI French Group.
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), 495km of onshore line pipes (November 2015) as well as Italy onshore pipeline construction and pipeline receiving terminal (December 2015).
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%).