How TAP operates

TAP maintains an ongoing dialogue with local land owners and users to avoid potential damage to the pipeline. Our ‘Call before you dig’ campaign offers an accessible information and reporting system.  

Block valves situated at approximately 30-kilometre intervals make it possible to remotely and immediately isolate the pipeline for planned maintenance or following an alert. Expert review and mitigation processes are designed to avoid prolonged disruption. 

TAP has an absolute focus on quality, health, safety and the environment. These values have been embedded into every activity since the design phase. Our management systems provide clear accountability for long-term operational control procedures following international best industry practice, codes and standards. 

TAP takes a proactive approach to the avoidance of incidents, deploying up-to-date technology to support inspection, monitoring and active reporting. We have a comprehensive crisis response plan and training programme in place for each site and in each country.

TAP supervises the day-to-day technical operation and commercial handling of gas transportation and the maintenance of its technical systems. Environmental management obligations and compliance with local regulations and relevant technical codes remain an ongoing commitment. 

Our control centre in Italy monitors the whole transportation system for indicators, such as pressure, power supply, temperature and gas flow using a SCADA system, communicating through fibre optic cables around the clock, 365 days a year.

To comply with EU transparency regulation, TAP publishes information regarding planned and unplanned maintenance as well as the metered quantities available at each interconnection point. Nominations are received and processed to ensure that the nominated quantities can be received at the entry points and delivered at the exit points through the transportation system.

The International Pipeline and Offshore Contractors Association (IPLOCA) reports, indexes and compares key performance indicators on safety, using ‘lost time per million hours’, and ‘in-vehicle driving per million kilometres.’ 

Since the start of our operations we had no significant QHSE incident. TAP continues to gather and record environmental, waste and emissions data to remain within internationally agreed parameters and local regulations. International standards achieved by TAP to date include ISO 14001 for the environment, ISO 9001 for quality, and ISO 45001 for health and safety.

TAP’s current operational capacity is 10 billion cubic metres annually (bcm/a). However, with the addition of two compressor stations and modification to the existing compressor stations, the existing pipeline capacity can be increased to a throughput of 20 bcm/a.