Leaders of five countries on Tuesday formally signed off on the construction of a pipeline to bring Caspian gas to European markets.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, hosting the ceremony in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, said: “The energy map of south-east Europe is being redefined and this turns Greece into an energy hub of the region.”

The project will also create 8,000 jobs for Greece’s moribund economy with hundreds of millions of euros in contracts for Greek firms taking part in construction work.

Due for completion in three years time the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline will join up with the South Caucasus Pipeline through Georgia and the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) through Turkey to bring gas from Azerbaijan’s massive Shah Deniz II field crossing through Georgia, Turkey, Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea to end in Italy.

European regulators cleared the project in March as part of Europe’s drive to reduce the energy reliance on Russia.

TAP is owned by BP, Azeri state energy firm SOCAR, Italy’s Snam, Belgian company Fluxys, Spain’s Enagas and Axpo. Construction is expected to begin this summer.