TIRANA, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- A micro-tunnel has been put into construction in Skrapar District in south central Albania, which will promote the construction of an intercontinental gas pipeline, said Trans Adriatic Pipeline AG Company established for the project on Thursday.
The plan aims to build an 878-km-long natural gas pipeline across Albania, which connects to the gas network in South Italy and transports up to 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year.
The 1.5-km-long micro-tunnel will connect the east and the west segments of the onshore parts of the pipeline in Albania, said TAP Project Manager for Albania Karl Roberts.
"It is the first time that this kind of operations and techniques are applied to Albania," said Albanian Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Enis Aliko, who attended the construction commencement ceremony on Wednesday.
Given the complicated geographic conditions in the Mideast country, the works face many challenges. By building a micro-tunnel, the contractors can lay pipelines across the Osumi River in southern Albania.
According to the manager, the experts from TAP thought building a micro-tunnel is the safest and most environmentally friendly option for crossing this challenging mountainous region.
"The micro-tunnel will be constructed using state-of-the-art technology with minimal human intervention, making it the safest method on current conditions," Roberts said.
Roberts also said the project is crucial to the Southern Gas Corridor, an initiative of the European Commission for the gas supply from Caspian and Middle Eastern regions to Europe, helping the continent add sources of energy supply.
Mayor of Skrapari Nesim Spahiu said the TAP project was one of the most important investments in Albania.
The project has made an enormous contribution to local development, especially to the environment, for employment, traffic infrastructure, and other social investment.
