BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 8. Since the start of gas transportation on the last day of 2020, the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) has delivered more than 13 billion cubic meters to Europe, TAP Managing Director Luca Schieppati said in an interview with Azernews, Trend reports.
“TAP’s initial forward firm long-term capacity, approximately 10 bcm/a, has been allocated to shippers based on long-term gas transportation contracts signed in 2013 for 25 years, which was necessary to underpin the investment. At the same time, capacity corresponding to approximately 5 percent of the initial capacity is available for short-term bookings through auctions in line with the European regulations via the PRISMA capacity booking platform,” he said.
Schieppati noted that lately, TAP has been close to full utilization, with significant short-term bookings to Italy on top of long-term commitments since mid-February.
“Our expectation for 2022/early 2023 is continued high-capacity utilization, both in the long and the short-terms. In the course of 2021, mainly thanks to the contribution of TAP, Italy began exporting gas to Northern Europe. That said, TAP could double its current capacity in the future,” TAP managing director added.
As the European section of the Southern Gas Corridor, TAP has the capacity to transport approximately 10 billion cubic meters of gas per annum (bcm/a) to several markets in Europe. The pipeline is also designed with the potential to expand its throughput capacity up to 20 bcm/a.
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 decarbonisation objectives.
TAP’s shareholding is comprised of bp (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagás (16 per