TIRANA (Albania), September 21 (SeeNews) – Albanian gas infrastructure operator Albgaz signed a memorandum of understanding with Macedonian Energy Resources (MER) Skopje to coordinate the joint development of a gas interconnection between the two counties, Albania’s energy ministry said on Friday.
The MoU provides for the establishment of a joint group of experts to work on the interconnection project, the ministry said in a press release, following a meeting between Albanian energy minister Damian Gjiknuri and Macedonian economy minister Kreshnik Bekteshi in Tirana.
According to the agreement, the two state-owned companies will set the technical parameters of the project, coordinate the studies of both countries, and prepare a joint document on the project to present it to the Energy Community Secretariat .
“With this joint project we have the opportunity to also apply to the European Union for financial support as it is fully compatible with both the Berlin Process and the regional connectivity agenda,” Gjiknuri said.
The Energy Community is an international organisation which brings together the European Union and its neighbours to create an integrated pan-European energy market. The Berlin Process is an initiative that brings together representatives of the Western Balkan countries , EU member states and EU institutions to work towards the European integration of the region.
The MoU comes in relation to the expected development of the regional gas market that will come with the start of operation of the TAP pipeline crossing Albania. TAP will stretch from Greece's border with Turkey, via Albania and across the Adriatic Sea, to Italy's coast. It is part of the Southern Gas Corridor which also comprises the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP), which crosses Azerbaijan and Georgia, and the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP).
The TAP consortium plans to start full-scale operation of the pipeline in 2020.
TAP shareholders are BP, Azerbaijan’s state company Socar and Italy’s Snam with 20% each, Belgium’s Fluxys with 19%, Spain’s Enagas with 16% and Swiss-based Axpo with 5%.