Bulgaria. The ceremony would also be attended
by officials from the EU and the US, which sup-
ported the project, as well as representatives from
the companies comprising the TAP joint venture.
The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) was chosen in
late June 2013 instead of the Nabucco West
pipeline, by the joint venture that manages the
Shah Deniz ΙΙ gas field in the Caspian Sea
(Azerbaijan) and is initially designed to carry 10
billion cubic metres to the EU. Azeri gas will pro-
vide an alternative supply source for Europe,
which is heavily dependent on natural gas sup-
M
ore specifically, as far as pipelines are
concerned the centre of attention is the
TAP gas pipeline. The countdown to
the commencement of the pipeline’s construction
has already begun, and the official inauguration
ceremony was scheduled for the last ten days of
May.
The inauguration would be held in Thessaloniki,
with all due ceremony, in the presence of the
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, as well as the
heads of the other states involved in the project,
i.e. Azerbaijan, Turkey, Albania, Italy, and
Trade with Greece
80
Greece’s major
energy challenges
Major energy projects, pipelines, the future of
the Public Power Corporation and the
reduction of its market share through joint
ventures, as well as the participation of
investors in the Independent Power
Transmission Operator (IPTO): these are the
greatest challenges facing Greece’s energy
sector.
By Christos Colonas
