U.S. Backs Trans-Adriatic Pipeline Choice

The United States has welcomed the decision by the international consortium developing Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz gas field to choose the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline to deliver Caspian gas to Europe.

A State Department statement called the move "another important step in the process of advancing Europe’s energy security and promoting competition in the supply of energy resources."

The Trans-Adriatic Pipeline will take gas from the Turkish border through Greece, Albania, and across the Adriatic Sea to Italy.

The move is seen as reducing European dependence on Russian energy supplies.

EU officials unveiled a "Southern Corridor" energy route plan in 2009. This is a network of pipelines aimed at bringing Caspian Basin gas to Europe via routes that avoid Russian territory.

Around a quarter of Europe’s gas is supplied by Russia.