By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijan's State Oil Company (SOCAR) and the EU have discussed prospects for expansion of the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) and Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), Azernews reports.

The discussion took place during the meeting between SOCAR's First Vice President Rovshan Najaf with the EU Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson.

"In a meeting with #EU Commissioner for #Energy @KadriSimson, we had discussions on increasing #gas production in #Azerbaijan, the prospects for expansion of #TANAP and #TAP pipelines, and the importance of EU support in this regard," Najaf wrote on his official Twitter page.

On July 19, Azerbaijan and the European Commission signed a memorandum of understanding on strategic cooperation in the energy sector. The document was signed by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The EU and Azerbaijan are in active dialogue on increasing gas supplies amid the energy crisis. The EU-Azerbaijan energy cooperation has reached a new level and is still ongoing within the framework of the Southern Gas Corridor. The EU places a high value on energy supply diversification, and the Southern Gas Corridor is particularly important in this regard.

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 Southern Gas Corridor is an initiative of the European Commission for 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, 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.