The TAP consortium (Statoil, E.ON Ruhrgas and EGL) and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Energy of Albania (METE) agreed to cooperate on the development of South Eastern Europe (SEE) natural gas markets and the strengthening of security of supply and diversification of gas resources in the region They signed a Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation (MOUC) with a focus on exploring possibilities for connecting the Ionian Adriatic Pipeline (IAP), a major regional natural gas project, to the Trans Adriatic Pipeline system at a tie-in point near Fier in Albania.
Earlier this year TAP signed similar agreements with other IAP participants, including Croatian gas system operator Plinacro Ltd, Bosnian gas system operator BH-Gas and the government of Montenegro.
The IAP project intends to connect the existing and the planned gas transmission systems of the Republic of Croatia, via Montenegro, and Albania with the TAP system (Trans Adriatic Pipeline).The pipeline will cross the territory along the Adriatic coast from Fieri in Albania to Split in Croatia. The total gas pipeline length from Split (Croatia) to Fier (Albania) is planned at about 516 km. Its 5 bcm/year capacity will provide the natural gas supply for Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia. Recently, the significance of the IAP project was recognized by the Western Balkan Investment Framework (WBIF), which decided to grant the Ionian Adriatic Pipeline project €3.5m for the execution of a feasibility study and environmental impact assessment (EIA).