TAP Begins Process of Landowners Negotiations in Albania

The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) has begun the process of locating the owners of the land through which it will run the pipeline, following the signing of an agreement with the Albanian Immovable Property Registration Office.

The agreement enables TAP to view land ownership information held by the government agency on the areas affected by the pipeline so that it may begin the process of locating and negotiating with the rightful landowners. TAP will support the agency in improving, updating and collecting additional data on the landowners along the TAP route in Albania.

"TAP will use the technical requirements elaborated by the Albanian authorities in cooperation with the World Bank and the EBRD and will engage closely with all stakeholders during the data gathering process," a statement from TAP said.

Country director of TAP, Albert Haak, said that the signing of the agreement was an important part of the pipeline project.

"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.

TAP will run over a 200 kilometre distance in Albania, over a total of 143 cadastral zones. The pipeline will run through Greece, Albania, through the Adriatic Sea and into Southern Italy, over a total distance of approximately 800 kilometres.

In addition to its Albanian efforts, TAP has begun a similar agreement with Greek authorities ahead of any construction an official said on Friday.

"TAP has also initiated a similar cooperation with the Cadastre authorities in Greece in order to have access to all the land needed for the project before construction begins,"  TAP's Senior Advisor for Land Access and Corporate Social Responsibility Dr. Kai Schmidt-Soltau said.

Shareholders in the Trans Adriatic Pipeline project are Swiss EGL and Norwegian Statoil at 42.5 per cent and German E.ON Ruhrgas at 15 per cent.