On the occasion of the 12th Ministerial Advisory Council of the Southern Gas Corridor, Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) is pleased to reconfirm full operability of the first level of capacity expansion, triggered during the 2021 Market Test, with 1.2 billion cubic meters per year of incremental long-term capacity booked.

To make this expansion possible, a new 15 MW compressor unit was installed at the Kipoi compressor station near the Greek–Türkiye border. The additional capacity comes five years after TAP started transporting gas to Europe in late 2020, underlining the pipeline’s state-of-the-art reliability and its growing contribution to strengthening Europe’s energy security, diversification of supplies and their resilience.

Luca Schieppati, TAP’s Managing Director, highlighted: “Now that we have safely transported over 55 bcm of Caspian gas to Europe, I am immensely proud to have witnessed yet another successful chapter in TAP’s short but meaningful journey. This was made possible, in coordination with the competent authorities, thanks to the hard work and dedication of all TAP employees, contractors, suppliers, as well as the steadfast support of our shareholders, while TAP continues strengthening the security of European energy supply and diversification.”

Murad Heydarov, Chairman of TAP’s Board of Directors, added: “This first level of expansion marks an important milestone not only for TAP, but for the entire 3,500 km long Southern Gas Corridor. It reaffirms the Corridor’s pivotal role as a reliable and competitive route directly delivering natural gas from the Caspian Sea to Europe. The entire Corridor’s strategic role for Europe and this achievement of expanded capacity in particular, is yet another proof of Azerbaijan’s widely recognised status of a reliable pan-European energy supplier.”

About the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP)

TAP transports natural gas from the giant Shah Deniz field in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea to Europe. The 877 km long pipeline connects with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) at the Türkiye-Greece border in Kipoi, crosses Northern Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Southern Italy.

TAP’s exit points in Greece and Italy enable the delivery of natural gas from Azerbaijan to a range of European markets. It also facilitates gas supplies to South-Eastern European countries through interconnectors. TAP is connected to Interconnector Greece Bulgaria (IGB) which started its commercial operations in October 2022, delivering Caspian gas to Bulgaria, thereby enhancing the security of energy supplies in one more European country.

As a key part of the Southern Gas Corridor, TAP is strategically and economically important to Europe and essential in providing reliable access to a new source of natural gas. TAP plays a significant role in boosting Europe’s energy security, supply diversification, as well as its decarbonisation objectives.

TAP’s shareholding is comprised of bp (20%), SOCAR (20%), Snam (20%), Fluxys (20%), Enagás (20%).