Brussels, 28/09/2012 (Agence Europe) - Albania, Greece and Italy agree on the construction of a pipeline that would connect them to the gas market of the Caspian Sea.
On the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday 27 September, Albania, Greece and Italy have sealed an intergovernmental agreement for the construction of the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which - if it goes ahead - will supply the three countries with gas from the Caspian Sea coming from Azerbaijan.
The pipeline would connect the Greek-Turkish border with Puglia, in the south of Italy, crossing the north of Greece and Albania, then passing under the Adriatic Sea.
Led by the Swiss energy company EGL (42.5%), the Norwegian company Statoil (42.5%) and the German company EON Ruhrgas (15%), TAP is one of the projects in the line up for transporting Azeri gas from the Shah Deniz field to the EU, in competition with Nabucco West. The selection of the project is expected in 2013 (see EUROPE 10678).
Commissioner for Energy Gunther Oetthinger welcomed, on Friday, an agreement which “is another important step towards our aim to get gas directly from the Caspian Region”. (EH/transl.fl)