The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) has made 0.16 bcm/year of gas transport capacity available from Greece to Albania’s Roskovec exit point, expanding cross-border supply options before Albania has developed the domestic infrastructure needed to accommodate significant gas volumes.
The additional capacity follows TAP’s introduction of bidirectional flows at the Nea Mesimvria interconnection in Greece from Oct. 1. The change allows gas already entering the Greek transmission system, including supplies originating from liquefied natural gas (LNG), to flow into TAP and potentially towards Albania.
A separate exit facility at Fier South is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of 2027 and is expected to be transferred to the Albanian state.
TAP is owned by SOCAR, BP, Snam, Fluxys and Enagás, linking Azerbaijan’s gas supplies with European markets through Greece and Albania before reaching Italy.
The latest development shifts attention towards Albania’s domestic gas infrastructure. Cross-border supply access is expanding, but the country still lacks the transmission and distribution networks needed to establish a substantial end-user market.
The main investment challenge is therefore moving beyond international pipeline capacity towards domestic infrastructure development, industrial demand and the potential use of gas-fired power generation.
The additional route could eventually give Albania access to both Azerbaijani pipeline gas and LNG delivered through Greece. If domestic infrastructure develops, it could also support wider regional gas flows towards Italy and other Western Balkan markets.
However, available cross-border capacity does not automatically translate into domestic gas consumption. Without sufficient pipelines, distribution networks and reliable sources of demand, the commercial value of the additional transport route will remain limited.
Developing the domestic network would require investment decisions linked to prospective industrial consumers, power generation, gas distribution and the long-term economics of gas infrastructure.
The planned Fier South facility represents another step towards improving access, but the broader challenge is establishing the connections needed to deliver gas from the international transmission system to end users.
The next major milestone for Albania will therefore be investment in domestic gas infrastructure capable of converting cross-border access into a functioning national market. Until that network is developed, the expansion of TAP’s available capacity will remain ahead of Albania’s ability to absorb significant gas volumes.
