Nominations for Azeri gas via TAP pipeline edge lower for late December

 Daily gas nominations for Azerbaijani natural gas transport via the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) to Europe have seen a slight decrease for the week of Dec. 22, operator data showed on Monday.

Total exit nominations at the Kipoi interconnection point on the Greek-Turkish border were recorded at 349,029,291 kWh for Dec. 22, representing a 0.14% dip compared to the previous Monday. Looking further ahead, nominations for the Dec. 23-29 period at Kipoi are projected to slide further to 348,019,866 kWh, a 0.43% decrease from mid-month levels.

Flows to other key exit points remained largely stable. Nominations for Melendugno in Italy—the pipeline's final destination—stood at 287,012,315 kWh for the final week of December, unchanged from the previous week. Similarly, delivery requests for Greece’s Nea Mesimvria and Komotini points held steady.

The 878-km TAP pipeline is the final leg of the Southern Gas Corridor, transporting gas from Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz II field to European markets.

Since commercial operations began on Dec. 31, 2020, the route has become a vital component of Europe's energy security strategy, diversifying supply away from Russian gas. The pipeline crosses Greece (550 km) and Albania (215 km) before traversing the Adriatic Sea to reach Italy.

N.Tebrizli