TAP pipeline in land agreement in Albania

The Trans Adriatic Pipeline consortium has agreements in hand to start negotiating for land use through Albanian territory, a director said. TAP is included in the so-called Southern Corridor, a series of gas transit networks meant to break Russia's grip on the regional energy sector. The consortium announced it signed an agreement with Albanian authorities that gives it access to land ownership information within the pipeline's planned corridor through the country. Albert Haak, the TAP country director in Albania, said the agreement was a big achievement for the consortium. "It is extremely important to have correct data on the rightful owners and users of land so that negotiations on easement and relevant compensation can be organized in a transparent and legal way and so that the concerns of all stakeholders are fairly addressed," he said in a statement. TAP would reach from the Caspian Sea through Greece, Albania and eventually to Western Europe. The consortium said it was "fully on schedule" with gas developments in Azerbaijan, which could start shipping some of its gas through the Southern Corridor by 2017. Energy consortiums managing Nabucco, the Interconnector Turkey-Greece and TAP pipeline networks, submitted proposals to Azerbaijan in October.