(Changes to denote 55,000 land owners in para 4, not people)
* To tender for material supply, land rights in 2014
* Seen on track for operations from 2019
* Tied in with Azeri gas project decision on Dec 17
FRANKFURT, Dec 11 (Reuters) - The Trans-Adriatic pipeline(TAP) project to bring gas from the Caspian region via Turkeyinto Europe is gearing up to tender in 2014 ahead of its plannedconstruction start a year later, it said on Wednesday.
"We plan to send invitations to tender during 2014 forpre-qualified engineering and pipeline contract packages,possibly in the first half," communications head Lisa Givertsaid on the sidelines of a gas event held in Germany to bringtogether suppliers and future customers for the new route.
"One big part of the project is also gaining access to landand rights of way to be able to meet the timetable for first gasto flow in 2019, but we're on track," she said.
Potential suppliers have not yet been made public, nor thetotal expected cost of the project, which is expected to involve55,000 land owners in three countries.
TAP is the pivotal link in the Southern Corridor, a route toship gas from central Asia, the Middle East and the easternMediterranean basin to the European Union, which is seeking todiversify supplies away from dependence on imported Russian gas.
TAP will cross Greece and Albania before reaching Italy andis to be built by a consortium led by BP, Norway'sStatoil and Azerbaijan's SOCAR.
They plan to deliver 10 billion cubic metres of gas per yearto Europe, and possibly double that in the long-term future.
On December 17 the BP-led Azeri Shah Deniz gas fieldconsortium is due to issue its final investment decision (FID)on phase II expansion aimed at securing output that will fillthe new gas routes to Turkey and Europe.
"We are closely tied in to that decision," Givert said.
She said that TAP would mean 1.5 billion euros ($2.1billion) in investment for Greece and 1 billion euros' worth forAlbania, boosting local industries and employment.
In June, TAP was selected by Shah Deniz over a rival projectcalled Nabucco West.
In September, Shah Deniz chose international buyers of itsfuture gas output.
($1 = 0.7261 euros) (Reporting by Vera Eckert; editing by Jason Neely and KeironHenderson)