Construction work on the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) section traversing Greece will begin within 2016 and the project will be completed by 2020, Rikard Scoufias, TAP’s Country Manager for Greece, assured during a speech at a conference organized by TEE/TKM, the Technical Chamber of Greece/Central Macedonia Section.

Scoufias noted the TAP project stands as “yet another sign of the confidence towards Greece,” while also stressing that the pipeline promises to bolster Greece’s geostrategic role on the energy map.

Scoufias said the TAP consortium is satisfied by its association with the Greek State. He reminded that the first deliveries of steel line pipes and bends to be used for the pipeline’s construction arrived at Greece’s ports of Thessaloniki and Kavala in May.

“Roughly 1,500 pipelines arrived in Thessaloniki and Kavala. Each pipeline measures 80 meters in length and weighs 10 tons. A total of 32,000 pipelines will be installed on Greek territory, while, overall, TAP will be comprised of 53,000 pipelines weighing 500,000 tons,” Scoufias said.

The TAP project will carry Azeri natural gas through northern Greece, Albania, and across the Adriatic Sea to Italy.

Scoufias also pointed out the project’s excellent safety record, noting that safety standards are being fully observed.

He noted that 150 companies active in Greece have so far collaborated with the TAP consortium “not because they are local but the best.”

Local communities are very supportive of the project, Scoufias said, adding that some 600 meetings have been held with local communities to resolve issues.