TAP Countries Give Tripartite Support

Natural Gas Europe

The governments of Albania, Greece and Italy have created a special committee to coordinate support for the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), one of two major contenders for the contract to convey gas from the Shah Deniz 2 field off Azerbaijan.

External Affairs Director for TAP, Michael Hoffmann, said the support was a major vote of confidence in his consortium, which is led by Norwegian major Statoil.

TAP is included in the so-called Southern Corridor, a planned network of pipelines meant to offer alternatives to Russian gas for Europe.

Albania, Greece and Italy are all transit countries for TAP. When the gas supplies arrive in Italy, they will then be transported on to a range of customer countries, according to the plan.

TAP is up against the ambitious Nabucco West pipeline, which is backed by other European countries. Also on Wednesday, the Nabucco website recorded a call by Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania to support his alternative in the Shah Deniz decision.

On Monday the New York Times reported that Hungarian prime minister Mark Orban had said that MOL, his contry's participant in Nabucco West, wanted to withdraw from the project.

A BP-led consortium operating Shah Deniz is due to decide on the successful candidate by June.

Source: http://www.naturalgaseurope.com/tap-countries-give-tripartite-support

Black Sea Region and Natural Gas Prospects

Natural Gas Europe

The recent international Black Sea Oil & Gas Forum held in Bulgaria highlighted culminations surrounding natural gas trade and investments in the region, which are gaining strong pace.

The president of the Bulgarian energy regulatory authority, Mrs. Evgenia Haritonova, pointed out that Bulgaria's immediate target is to increase the production of domestic natural gas while at the same time diversifying its import sources, based on the current pipeline projects, such as the Southern Corridor and the interconnectors with its neighbors - Greece, Serbia and Romania, which will be finalized within the next 18 months. Further she added that the Bulgarian government had already signed with an energy consortium comprised of the France's Total SA, Austrian OMV and Spanish Repsol to conduct research for gas in the Black Sea field of Khan Asparuh. Identical competitions with international companies will take place in due time for the offshore locations of Silistar, Sveta Marina and Teres.

Regarding shale gas, Haritonova stated that for the moment the energy Ministry is following the moratorium of the Parliament, and until it is lifted no research could be made.  It is interesting to note that Bulgaria's special advisor of the ministry of economy Petar Poptchev noted that Chevron was not so much interested in shale gas exploration, but in conventional gas.

TANAP marks revolution in energy history of Azerbaijan and Turkey

Trend AZ

Trans-Anatolian pipeline project (TANAP) marks a revolution in the energy history of Azerbaijan and Turkey, as it will be implemented at the expense of funding and infrastructure of these two countries, the head of SOCAR Turkey Enerji, a board member of Petkim Petrochemical Holding Kenan Yavuz told Trend on Tuesday.

According to Yavuz, it is expected that first construction works within TANAP will start in 2014. And the first delivery of Azerbaijani gas to Turkey will begin already in 2017, he said.

According to the latest estimates, the cost of the TANAP project totals $ 10 billion, Yavuz said.

"At the moment we are negotiating with international companies such as BP, Statoil and Total on assignment of interest in TANAP," he said.

Nabucco and TAP gas pipelines could both be built one day -TAP

Reuters

Both of the projects vying to pipe Azeri gas to the European Union can be built but not yet, a senior official from one of them said on Wednesday.


Second pipeline could take another five-to-10 years
Decision on winning project expected by mid-2013



The governments of Albania, Greece and Italy on Wednesday signed an agreement, confirming their support for the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), one of two projects in competition to reduce EU dependence on Russian energy.

"There will be 10 billion cubic metres of gas available from Shah Deniz phase II. In that context, there can't be two large-scale pipelines built at the same time," TAP External Affairs Director Michael Hoffmann told Reuters.

"But we can have two pipelines in a sequential situation. It will only be a matter of time before more gas comes on stream from Azerbaijan, though this may possibly take another five to 10 years."

TAP is proposing a route through Albania and Greece into Italy, while the rival Nabucco West project would ship gas along a different path from Turkey's western border into a hub in Austria from whence it could be distributed.

Heavily indebted nation Greece is particularly in need of the kind of investment an energy pipeline would bring and Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras attended Wednesday's signing ceremony in Athens.