The Greek Parliament has ratified the Host Government Agreement (HGA) it signed with the Trans Adriatic Pipeline earlier in June 2013. The HGA sets out the framework by which the project will be realized and operated on Greek territory. This includes processes related to land easement and acquisition, the implementation of technical, safety, environmental and social standards and permitting.
The TAP pipeline will have a capacity of 10 bcm/year (expandable to 20 bcm/year) and will transport natural gas from the giant Shah Deniz II field in Azerbaijan to Europe as of 2019. TAP’s shareholding is comprised of BP (20%), SOCAR (20%), Statoil (20%), Fluxys (16%), Total (10%), E.ON (9%) and Axpo (5%). The approximately 870 km long pipeline will connect with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) near the Turkish-Greek border at Kipoi, cross Greece and Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Southern Italy. In Greece, the pipeline will start at Kipoi at the Turkish-Greek border, and will cover some 550 km entering Albania northwest of Dipotamia.