The Southern Gas Corridor

The Southern Gas Corridor improves the security and diversity of the EU’s energy supply. It covers all infrastructure projects involved in bringing natural gas from the Caspian Sea to Europe.

Crossing seven countries and stretching across 3,500 kilometres, the Southern Gas Corridor is one of the most complex gas value chains ever developed. Involving over a dozen major energy companies, it is made up of several separate energy projects representing a total investment of approximately US$40 billion: 

• the Shah Deniz 2 development – drilling wells and producing gas offshore in the Caspian Sea 
• expansion of the natural gas processing plant at the Sangachal Terminal on the Caspian Sea
• expansion of the Italian gas transmission network
• possibilities for further connection to the gas networks of South Eastern, Central and Western European countries
• three pipelines: 
  • South Caucasus Pipeline (SCPX) – Azerbaijan, Georgia 
  • Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) – Turkey 
  • Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) – Greece, Albania, Italy  

TAP is an essential part of the Southern Gas Corridor, offering a direct and cost-effective transportation route to South East European countries and beyond. It transports natural gas from the Caspian basin to Europe, connecting with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) at the Greek-Turkish border, crossing Northern Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea before coming ashore in Southern Italy to connect to the Italian natural gas network. 

TAP offers various connection options to a number of existing and proposed pipelines, delivering gas to various European markets and consumers to power homes and industries as the region transitions to a low carbon future. 

• Bulgaria: TAP will connect with the Interconnector Greece Bulgaria (IGB) pipeline.
• Greece: TAP connects with the Greek network operated by DESFA
• Albania: TAPcan provide exit points for the development of the Albanian gas market
• Italy: TAP connects to the Italian natural gas grid operated by Snam Rete Gas, from which all Italian gas exit points to European destinations can be reached.
• South East Europe: TAP can provide an exit point to the planned Ionian Adriatic Pipeline (IAP) to link to the markets in Croatia, Albania, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.