The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) AG announced to great fanfare on the very last day of this past year that gas has begun to flow from Azerbaijan to Greece, Bulgaria and Italy.

Luca Schieppati, TAP’s Managing Director, commented: “Today is a historic day for our project, as well as for our host countries and Europe’s energy landscape. TAP is an essential part of the continent’s gas network, contributing to the energy transition roadmap. We offer a reliable, direct and cost-effective transportation route to South East European countries and beyond.”

Marija Savova, TAP’s Head of Commercial, added: “The start of gas deliveries is a significant milestone for Europe’s gas market. While we look forward to providing transportation services to shippers in the upcoming months and years, we also look forward to launching the second phase of our market test in the summer, which will enable the future expansion of TAP, doubling the pipeline’s capacity to 20bcm/a.”

TAP will facilitate gas supplies to South Eastern European countries through prospective interconnectors. In particular, Bulgaria will be able to cover up to 33% of its total gas demand through TAP after the completion of the Interconnector Greece Bulgaria (IGB). TAP’s exits in Greece and Albania together with the landfall in Italy provide multiple opportunities for further transport of gas from Azerbaijan to the wider European markets.

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%), SOCAR (20%), Snam (20%), Fluxys (19%), Enagás (16%) and Axpo (5%).