Interconnector Turkey–Greece–Italy

The agreement between Turkish gas company BOTAŞ and Greek gas company DEPA was signed on 28 March 2002. The intergovernmental agreement to build a natural gas pipeline between the two countries was signed on 23 December 2003 in Ankara. The foundation of pipeline was laid on 3 July 2005 by the prime ministers Kostas Karamanlis and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. It was completed in September 2007.[1][2] The pipeline was officially inaugurated on 18 November 2007.[3]

The length of Turkish section is 210 kilometres (130 mi), of which 17 kilometres (11 mi) are under the Sea of Marmara. The length of Greek section is 86 kilometres (53 mi). The diameter of pipeline is 36 inches (910 mm) and the capacity is 7 billion cubic metres (250 billion cubic feet) of natural gas per year.[4]

The feasibility study for the Greece–Italy pipeline was conducted in 2003. The study was funded by the European Commission.[6]

The memorandum of understanding for the construction of pipeline was signed between DEPA and Edison on 28 April 2005. It was followed by an intergovernmental agreement signed on 4 November 2005 in Rome by Italian Minister for Productive Activities Claudio Scajola and Greek Development Minister Dimitris Sioufas. Also the Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Hilmi Güler was present at the ceremony. On 31 January 2007, Italy's Minister of Economic Development Pier Luigi Bersani, and Greek minister Dimitris Sioufas granted exclusive usage rights of the pipeline to Edison S.p.A. and DEPA for 25 years.[7] This was approved by the European Commission in May 2007.[8] On 26 July 2007, the additional protocol on construction was signed in Rome. On 11 June 2008, the project company for the offshore section IGI Poseidon SA was incorporated in Italy with 50% stakes held by DEPA and Edison.[5]

In February 2011, the engineering consultancy Penspen was awarded the basic engineering design contract for the on-shore section of the pipeline from Komotini in to Igoumenitsa, Thesprotia.[9][10] In September 2011, the technical feasibility was confirmed by a marine survey completed by Fugro GeoConsulting.

The length of Greece–Italy pipeline would be more than 807 kilometres (501 mi), of which 590 kilometres (370 mi) would be onshore pipeline in Greece and more than 217 kilometres (135 mi) would be laid on the seabed of Ionian Sea. The pipeline would be connected to the Turkey–Greece pipeline outside Komotini and would run to Igoumenitsa, Thesprotia. The offshore section would be built between Igoumenitsa and Otranto in Apulia region.[11] The offshore section would cost €500 million and the Greek section will cost €600 million.

The capacity of pipeline would be 8 billion cubic metres (280 billion cubic feet) of natural gas per year.[5] 80% of the transmission capacity would be reserved to Edison SpA, while 20% would be reserved to DEPA.[8]