BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 30. In the first 8 months of this year, approximately 700 million cubic meters of natural gas were supplied from Azerbaijan to Greece.
This was reported by Azerbaijan’s Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazov on his “X” page.
“We discussed advancing our energy cooperation with Stavros Papastavrou, Minister of Environment and Energy of Greece within the 6th meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission in Athens. We exchanged views on the role of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) in ensuring Europe’s,” the statement noted.
The Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) plays an important role in the export of natural gas from Azerbaijan to Europe. Azerbaijani gas produced at the Shah Deniz field and transported via TAP is supplied to European markets through Greece, Albania, and Italy.
According to Luca Schieppati, managing director of the TAP consortium, starting October 1, the Nea Mesimvria interconnection point in Greece will operate in a bidirectional mode.
He noted that this change will strengthen market integration and increase the flexibility of the gas system. The two-way operation will allow gas to both enter and exit the TAP system. Thus, gas will be transported in both directions between TAP and the Greek national gas transmission system.
Schieppati noted that in the nearly six years since the TAP began commercial operations, it has proven its strategic importance to Europe’s energy security. According to him, more than 62 billion cubic meters of gas have been transported through the pipeline during this period.
The managing director added that starting in 2026, TAP will provide an additional annual capacity of 1.2 billion cubic meters of gas in the long term.
Work is also underway to prepare TAP for a low-carbon future. This includes the use of biomethane, blending hydrogen with natural gas, electrification, and the implementation of carbon management technologies.
TAP is the European segment of the Southern Gas Corridor. The pipeline, approximately 878 kilometers long, connects to TANAP at the Greek-Turkish border, passes through Greece and Albania, crosses the Adriatic Sea, and comes ashore in southern Italy.
The initial capacity of TAP is approximately 10 billion cubic meters per year. Subject to market demand and regulatory approval, this capacity can be increased to 20 billion cubic meters per year.
