The European
Union (Commission) approved the agreement between the Greek Government and the
consortium that will develop the TAP Pipeline i.e. the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline.
The TAP Pipeline will be the European leg of the Southern Energy Corridor, with
the Asiatic legs of the project being the South Caucasus
and the TANAP (Trans-Anatolian) Pipelines. The TAP Pipeline is the red
pipeline, the TANAP is the blue and the South Caucasus
is the purple pipeline.
Map 1 Southern Energy Corridor
The Southern
Energy Corridor will reduce the dependency of the European Union on Russian natural
gas, and it is one of the main geopolitical objectives of both Turkey and the European Union, and it is
supported by the United
States . The Southern Energy Corridor is
threatened by the German-Russian networks, Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, and
that’s why the Turkish Islamists and the Greek Communists are sending to Germany
hundreds of thousands of migrants. See “Germany ’s Defeat by the Turkish
Islamists and the Greek Communists”.
The problem
is that even the Russians are angry with Merkel, because Merkel has approved
the sanctions against Russia ,
after the Russian army entered Ukraine .
Moreover the Russians are angry with the European Union, because the European
Union promotes the Southern Energy Corridor, and also the European Energy
Union, which will reduce Russian influence on European countries. This
situation is very messy and very dangerous and threatens the existence of the
European Union.
Anyway, the
TAP consortium will invest 5.6 billion euros on the pipeline, with 2.3 billion
euros being invested in Greece .
In its first phase the TAP will transfer to Italy 10 billion cubic meters of
natural gas, which is 1/6 of the current Italian gas imports, and its capacity
will gradually reach 20 billion cubic meters per year.
That is of
course if the natural gas can pass through the Kurds of Turkey (PKK). All these
pipeline plans are just plans and ambitions. Which pipelines will actually be
constructed, and which gas will be sold in the end, will be determined by the
current wars, and the negotiations that are taking place. For example the
negotiations for the ceasefire in Syria etc.
Map 2 Trans-Adriatic
Pipeline (TAP)
Map 3 Kurdistan
I believe
that it is a good thing for Europe to reduce its dependency on Russia .
To compensate Russia for its
reduced revenues in Europe, the Europeans and the Americans could help the Russians
sell natural gas to Japan and South
Korea , which are the largest and second
largest importers of LNG. Obviously in practice it is much harder to reach such
agreements.
Map 4 A
Possible Russo-Japanese Pipeline
For the talks
between Russia , Japan and South Korea , about a possible gas
pipeline see “Russia VS North Korea”.
The TAP Pipeline,
and NOT the natural gas that will be transferred by it, it is owned by the state
owned firm of Azerbaijan (20%) i.e. SOCAR, by the Italian firm Snam (20%), in which
the Italian ENI has shares, by the Anglo-Dutch giant BP (20%), by the Belgian firm
Fluxys (19%), in which the French government has a stake, by Enagas (16%), in which
the Spanish government has stakes, and by the Swiss state-owned Axpo (5%). All
these details are taken on March 2016. See “Commission approves agreement
between Greece and TAP
allowing new gas pipeline to enter Europe ”, March
2016
14th
Paragraph
Trans Adriatic
Pipeline AG is a joint venture company registered in Switzerland . Its shareholders are
BP (20%), SOCAR (20%), Snam (20%), Fluxys (19%), Enagás (16%) and Axpo (5%).
I must say that
TAP, TANAP, South Caucasus Pipelines are owned by different companies, and
different companies produce the natural gas of Azerbaijan .
Map 5
Pipeline Networks (Energy Information Administration)
Article
“Commission
approves agreement between Greece
and TAP allowing new gas pipeline to enter Europe ”,
March 2016
4th
Paragraph
The Trans Adriatic
Pipeline is the European leg of the Southern Gas Corridor, which aims to
connect the EU market to new gas sources. With an initial capacity of 10
billion cubic metres of gas per year, the pipeline will transport gas from the
Shah Deniz II field in Azerbaijan
to the EU market as of 2020. The Trans Adriatic Pipeline will run from the
Greek border via Albania to Italy , under the Adriatic
Sea . The builder and operator of the pipeline is Trans Adriatic
Pipeline AG (TAP), a joint venture of several energy companies. TAP will invest
€5.6 billion over five years in the project, of which €2.3 billion in Greece .
14th
Paragraph
Trans Adriatic
Pipeline AG is a joint venture company registered in Switzerland . Its shareholders are
BP (20%), SOCAR (20%), Snam (20%), Fluxys (19%), Enagás (16%) and Axpo (5%).
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