TAP has authorized its contractors to start surveys for collecting detailed information on the landowners living along the pipeline corridor to complement the existing cadastral data. The goal is to identify rightful landowners, establish property boundaries and evaluate the affected properties. TAP’s LEA process is based on acquiring access rights to land, in order to establish access for the pipeline.

TAP will require temporary access to land for the construction strip where the pipeline will be buried and permanent access to land for installations such as compressor stations, block valve stations, etc. Following construction, TAP will also require land easements for the pipeline corridor and safety zones.

TAP is carrying out its activities in accordance with the international standards of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to ensure that all affected people living along the pipeline corridor are compensated fairly and transparently.

TAP has hired Royal HaskoningDHV (RHDHV) as its contractor for LEA activities. RHDHV is an international engineering and project management service provider and consultancy, based in the Netherlands.

In 2014 TAP plans to enter into agreements with landowners regulating how the access to land can be granted. Royal HaskoningDHV will be contacting all affected landowners in the next months; it will mobilise a team of 200 staff members to carry out LEA activities in Greece, Albania and Italy.

Albert Haak, TAP’s Land Easement and Acquisition Manager, said: “TAP’s LEA activities will be conducted in a very transparent manner and in accordance to the highest international standards. TAP is committed to an open dialogue and building trustful and lasting relationships with the communities living along the future pipeline route.”

Sjacco de Vos, Senior Project Manager for Royal HaskoningDHV, said: “Our goal is to ensure that access to land is secured and TAP can begin the pipeline construction on schedule, and also to ensure that people affected by the project are properly compensated according to the EBRD standards.”

TAP has also established an impartial “Grievance Mechanism” - an efficient and quick process to receive complaints/expressions of concern from people living near the proposed pipeline, and TAP commits to responding to these and providing relevant solutions.

About the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP)
TAP will transport natural gas from the giant Shah Deniz II field in Azerbaijan to Europe. The approximately 870 km long pipeline will connect with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) near 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 a major source of foreign direct investment and it is not dependent on public money. It is planned that TAP will be ready to transport first gas from the Shah Deniz natural gas field in Azerbaijan to Europe in 2019.
TAP’s shareholding is comprised of BP (20%), SOCAR (20%), Statoil (20%), Fluxys (16%), Total (10%), E.ON (9%) and Axpo (5%).