The Trans-Adriatic pipeline (TAP) will be “in full regime” in 2022 and 2023, carrying 10 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas to Europe each year, with 8 bcm of that volume going to Italy, Managing Director Luca Schieppati said.

Asked about the potential additional capacity of the pipeline, Schieppati told the daily Il Messaggero that TAP was now sized to carry 10 bcm plus a further 500 million cubic metres in the short term.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Mario Draghi said Italy would be able to weather a complete breakdown in gas supplies from Russia in the short term.

Italy is working to increase supplies from other gas producers, such as Algeria and Azerbaijan, and make greater use of liquefied natural gas, Draghi said, adding that Italy needed to think about possibly doubling the capacity of TAP.

“First of all let me say that TAP’s commercial strategy is perfectly in line with the energy policy of the government…” Schieppati told the paper.

The manager said that 40 months would be required for infrastructure investments after the signing of contracts and more than 50 months to “fully double” pipeline capacity.

In October Schieppati had said TAP’s plan to double capacity was going ahead, adding, in an interview in January that the pipeline was ready to expand its capacity one year in advance, while transport contracts could be signed from Oct. 1 this year.

TAP is the final leg of a $40-billion project, the Southern Gas Corridor.

Its stakeholders include BP BP.L, SOCAR, and Snam SRG.MI, each with a holding of 20%; Fluxys FLUX.BR, with a 19% stake, Enagas ENAG.MC with 16%, and Axpo with 5%.

In 2021 it carried more than 8.1 bcm of gas from Azerbaijan into Europe, with 6.8 bcm destined for Italy.
Source: Reuters (Reporting by Giulia Segreti, Editing by Cristina Carlevaro and Clarence Fernandez)