In search of natural gas amid energy crisis, European commissioner to visit Azerbaijan

By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson will visit Azerbaijan in July, Azernews reports.

She made the announcement during the Three Seas Business Forum on "Building a balanced and resilient energy sector in the three seas region" in Riga.

Noting that the EU Energy Platform is one of the key drivers of the EU efforts to diversity, she stated that this platform will aggregate EU gas demand and allow Europe to better and more efficiently use gas infrastructure.

"In terms of outreach to international partners, we are quite advanced with the United States, as well as Norway. Last week I traveled to Cairo where we signed an MoU with Egypt and Israel. I will also visit Azerbaijan in July. At the same time, we have intense contacts with Canada, Qatar, Algeria, and others,” she said.

EU and Azerbaijan are in active dialogue on increasing gas supplies amid the energy crisis. A joint statement on energy cooperation with the EU was signed more than ten years ago. The EU-Azerbaijan energy cooperation had 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.