As part of the test operation of the project, TAP AG, a company in charge of the construction and operation of Trans-Adriatic gas pipeline (TAP), started importing natural gas in the last section of the pipeline in Greece, from Serres to Ieropigi and the Greek-Albanian border.
The import of natural gas in all the 550 kilometers of the Greek section of the pipeline began in November 2019 and it is considered a landmark on the path towards completion of the project. The test operation process inspects the safety of the infrastructure according to national and international standards.
TAP project envisages 878 km long pipeline that will connect to the Trans-Anatolian (TANAP) near the Turkish-Greek border and cross Greece, Albania and Adriatic Sea before reaching its final destination in Italy. Current shareholders of TAP AG are British Petroleum (20 %), Azeri state-owned SOCAR (20 %), Italian Snam (20 %), Belgian Fluxys (19 %), Spanish Enagas (16 %) and Swiss Axpo with 5 % of the shares. The initial capacity of the pipeline is 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year, with an option to expand the capacity to 20 billion cubic meters. The cost of the project was initially estimated at some 6 billion euros, but in 2016 CEO of TAP AG Ian Bradshaw confirmed that the construction should cost 4.5 million euros. The construction of the Greek section of the pipeline was launched on 17 May 2016, while construction works on the Albanian section started on 30 September same year. The works on the 105 kilometers long offshore section between Albania and Italy started in October 2018.
As of the end of April 2020, the TAP project is 95.1 % completed.
