(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan.22
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend
The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) has reinstated olive trees and dry stone walls in Italy, Trend reports citing TAP AG consortium.
The first to come back to their original locations were the young olive trees, belonging to a variety resistant to the Xylella bacterium. These were replanted instead of the trees which had to be cut due to being infected with the bacterium.
Then, TAP's specialised contractors replanted the healthy olive trees, which had been moved from the pipeline route and cared for in canopies in Masseria del Capitano, close to the PRT area. 828 olive trees, some considered monumental, are returning to their original locations, using a geo-reference tracking system.
In addition, 930 new young olive trees, of varieties resistant to Xylella, are being planted along the 8km corridor to replace the cut ones due to being infected by the bacterium, in line with the guidelines of phytosanitary authorities.
As part of TAP's restoration works, the reconstruction activities of the dry stone walls also play a significant role, aiming at reinstating the typical countryside landscape of the territory.
In this context, TAP has developed a series of procedures for managing the disassembly and reassembly of the dry stone structures. TAP provided specialised workers and a team of archaeologists to monitor activities in case of uncovering any possible ancient remains and to document the structures and ensure the restoration is consistent with the pre-construction conditions.
Approximately 110 dry stone walls affected by the pipeline route have been catalogued, numbered and documented, and subsequently dismantled, divided by sections (top, body and bottom of the wall) and stored in pallets of 1 cubic meter each, to be then reassembled in the same manner, respecting the original architectural and landscape structure.
TAP transports natural gas from the giant Shah Deniz field in the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian Sea to Europe. The 878 km long pipeline connects with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) at the Turkish-Greek border in Kipoi, crosses Greece and Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Southern Italy.
TAP will facilitate gas supplies to South Eastern European countries through prospective interconnectors. In particular, Bulgaria will be able to cover up to 33% of its total gas demand through TAP after the completion of the Interconnector Greece Bulgaria (IGB). TAP's exits in Greece and Albania together with the landfall in Italy provide multiple opportunities for further transport of gas from Azerbaijan to the wider European markets.
As a key part of the Southern Gas Corridor, TAP is strategically and economically important to Europe and essential in providing reliable access to a new source of natural gas. TAP plays a significant role in boosting Europe's energy security, supply diversification, as well as decarbonisation objectives.
TAP's shareholding is comprised of bp (20%), SOCAR (20%), Snam (20%), Fluxys (19%), Enagás (16%) and Axpo (5%).
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