EU thanks Azerbaijan for raising gas supplies via Southern Gas Corridor

By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

EU Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson has thanked Azerbaijan for its efforts in ramping up gas supplies to the European Union via the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC).

"I also want to thank Azerbaijan for their efforts in ramping up gas supplies traveling to the EU via the Southern Gas Corridor. Azerbaijan has stepped up, confirming their reliability and great partnership," she stated on her official Twitter account.

Simson stressed that "there is no doubt that the SGC is strategic to the EU's energy diversification policy and security of supply. In our view, the Southern Gas Corridor is a continuing success story".

Europe's energy security

UK Ambassador James Sharp also stated that the Southern Gas Corridor is of great importance for the energy security of Europe.

"I participated in the 8th Ministerial Meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council. This corridor is of great importance for Europe's energy security, decarbonization and transition to clean energy," he wrote on his official Twitter page.

He added that he was pleased to see BP Azerbaijan's contribution to this transition.

Hydrogen transport potential

The preliminary readiness assessment confirms that the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) has the potential to transport hydrogen, TAP managing director Luca Schieppati noted.

He made the remarks during the 8th ministerial meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council.

“Retrofitting the existing infrastructure for transporting hydrogen is one of the opportunities we are pursuing,” he said.

Schieppati went on to say that TAP could pave the way for the introduction of a new energy source in the Balkans, helping to reduce carbon emissions in line with EU goals.

On February 4, Baku hosted the 8th ministerial meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council.

The Southern Gas Corridor is a European Commission initiative for a natural gas supply route from the Caspian and Middle Eastern regions to Europe. The South Caucasus Pipeline, TANAP, and TAP are the pipelines that connect Azerbaijan to Europe.