European Commission's Energy Committee head: Azerbaijan is EU's strategic partner

"Southern Energy Corridor"will allow creating an infrastructure through which the Azerbaijani gas may be supplied to Europe, a Director in the European Commission's Directorate General of Enterprise and Industry,Georgette Lalis,said in Baku today during a meeting on discussing the memorandum signed between the EU and Azerbaijan.

She said that Azerbaijanis a strategic partner of the EU. In particular,one of the main directions of cooperation isthe relationships in the energy sector.

This is stipulated by the recent visit of European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and EU Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger in Baku and signing of the Declaration on Southern Energy Corridor.

Meeting of the subcommittee will be held in Baku on Feb. 16 within the Memorandum of Cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan in the energy sector. In particular, the European Commission will present specific proposals in the field of alternative and renewable energy sources, Lalis said.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Energy Natig Abbasovsaid during the meeting thatAzerbaijan is interested in thecontracted deliveries of its gas to various markets if thesecurity of supplyis ensured.

He noted that at present Azerbaijan attaches great importance to the development of alternative energy sources. In particular, the work is underway to create parkson the regeneration of wind energy. It is planned toget its first products by late 2011 within the production of solar batteries that will be produced at the Technopark in Sumgait.

He said that the country is working toexport electricity. At present, the power of the energy system of Azerbaijan is more than 6,000 megawatts. He noted the tendency to reduce power consumption in Azerbaijan. Theelectricity consumption hit 23 billion kilowatt-hoursin 2006, in 2010 this figure amounted to 18 billion kilowatt hours.


/Trend/