TAP gas pipeline crosses Albanian rocky mountains

The Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) has crossed the rocky mountains of Albania, putting it on track to start delivering gas to Europe next year.
Stretching for 878 km (546 miles) from Turkey's border across Greece, Albania's mountains, and the Adriatic Sea to Italy, TAP is a cornerstone of the European Union's energy security policy to wean the bloc off Russian gas.
The pipeline will transport up to 10 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas per year from the Shah Deniz II field in Azerbaijan to Italy from next year.
Out of TAP's total cost of 4.5 billion euros ($5.04 billion), the section across Albania has cost a third of that due to the challenging terrain.
"We are proud to have risen to this challenge and delivered a world-class pipeline crossing mountains of over 2,000 meters above sea level," TAP Albania manager Malfor Nuri told Reuters, adding that TAP is...