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TAP: Trilateral support of Regulatory Entities of Albania – Italy – Greece

The three National Regulatory Authorities of Italy, Greece and Albania, have concluded their assessment on the application of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP AG) for exemption from third party access rules and other provisions of the Third package. They have now formed a common position and will send to the European Commission their joint opinion.
The exemption shall be granted, subject to binding additional conditions. These conditions allow for non-discriminatory access to TAP by third parties, for at least 50% of the maximum capacity of 20 bcm/year, at cost reflective tariffs, and safeguard the independence of TAP AG as transmission system operator1TAP,when completed, will be a major Interconnector, which will open the Southern Gas Corridor for the supply of Europe with gas from Caspian sources. These new gas volumes will be, from an European perspective, significant enough to reduce the dependency of the European Union on the traditional Russian, Algerian and Norwegian gas supplies, especially when combined with the diversified sources of gas which are imported to Italy from North Africa and elsewhere. In addition, TAP will become an essential supply route for South East Europe, as it will facilitate the gasification of the countries in the region, will decrease their dependency from a single source of supply and will contribute to the development of essential gas infrastructures, as the Ionian Adriatic Pipeline and the Energy Community Gas Ring.
Furthermore, TAP shall contribute to the establishment and the development of the Albanian gas market, as it will remove its isolation from the European markets, providing the link to both Italy and Greece. Finally, TAP will contribute to the maturity of the Greek gas market and will establish a market based bridge between the Eastern gas resources and the Western gas markets. With the conditions that accompany the acceptance of the request of TAP AG for exemption from a series of provisions of the default third party access regime of the 3rd energy package, the three National Regulatory Authorities have established a clear and definite regulatory regime for the operation of the TAP pipeline, along the following lines:
– The business case of TAP AG to transport the available gas volumes from the Shah Deniz II field to South East Europe and Italy is fully accommodated, in a way that concurrently provides access to TAP to all future buyers of such gas volumes, under the same terms and conditions.
– The maximum possible capacity for the transportation of gas through TAP will be developed in a way that is technically and economically feasible, in a market based approach, following the European best practice.
– The gas markets in South East Europe will have direct access, via TAP, through Albania and Greece, to gas supplies from Italy in a fully regulated way.
– The interoperability of TAP to existing and future gas infrastructures in Albania and Greece is safeguarded through the development of new entry and exit points in TAP, following the needs of the market in those two countries.
– TAP AG will operate as an independent system operator for the entire period of the exemption, prior to the ownership unbundled regime to be implemented after that period.
– Pro-competitive measures prevent the development and the strengthening of dominant market positions in all three countries.
The achievement of this decision is the result of an excellent co-operation between the Regulatory Authorities of two Member States and one Contracting Party of the Energy Community on the basis of the third package.

energjia.al, 05.03.2013