Official: Azerbaijan expects to double gas supplies via SGC

By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijan expects to double gas supplies through the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC), Deputy Energy Minister Elnur Soltanov has said, Azernews reports.

He made the remarks speaking at the IX Global Baku Forum on "Challenges to the Global World Order".

The deputy energy minister added that Azerbaijan has the potential to increase gas exports.

"Azerbaijan is in active dialogue with its European colleagues on this issue. We expect a doubling of gas supplies via the Southern Gas Corridor project very soon," he said.

Soltanov stated that Azerbaijan has also potential for the development of alternative energy sources.

"Especially in the development of offshore wind energy, which has a potential of 157 GW," he said.

Noting that Azerbaijan has increased electricity exports by 45 percent in 2021, he mentioned that there is a plan to create a green corridor for exporting electricity to Europe.

"Zangazur corridor can play a big role in this regard, and we are already working in this direction," he said.

To recall, with the completion of the TAP (Trans-Adriatic Pipeline) construction on December 31, 2020, Azerbaijan began commercial gas supplies to Europe via the Southern Gas Corridor. The European Commission's Southern Gas Corridor initiative aims to build a natural gas supply route from the Caspian and Middle Eastern regions to Europe. The route from Azerbaijan to Europe consists of the South Caucasus Pipeline, the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP), and TAP.

Last year, TAP transported 8.1 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe. By late 2022, Azerbaijan plans to increase gas supplies to Europe to 9.1 billion cubic meters, and in 2023 the volume of gas supplies is expected to reach 11 billion cubic meters.