ArmInfo.The European Union expects that the export capacity of TAP (Trans- Adriatic Gas Pipeline) will increase in the very near future and will reach the projected 10 billion cubic meters per year. European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson stated this on Friday, at a press conference in Baku on the results of the 8th meeting of ministers within the Advisory Council of the SGC, Turan reports.
"We want to increase the supply of natural gas from Azerbaijan to Europe to 10 billion cubic meters. To do this, we must achieve a secure supply," she said.
According to her, the EU is in favor of expanding the capacity of the SCG and increasing supplies from the Shah Deniz field.
SGC will play a big role in reliable gas supplies to South-Eastern Europe. "Currently, prices are rising in the energy market, and therefore the Southern Gas Corridor is important for the energy supply of this part of Europe," she noted.
As Minister of Energy of Azerbaijan Parviz Shahbazov stated at the plenary session of the VIII Ministerial Meeting of the Advisory Council of the Southern Gas Corridor in Baku, in 2021 more than 18.5 billion cubic meters of gas were exported to consumers in Georgia, Turkey and Europe through the SCG. During this period, about 8.9 billion gas was supplied to European countries under long-term and short-term contracts alone, he added.
The SCG can expand its strategic importance in ensuring energy security through interconnectors between European countries. "We are ready to cooperate with the European Commission and countries wishing to purchase additional volumes of gas or import and export gas," Shahbazov said.
EU Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi , in turn, noted that "ensuring energy security will remain a priority." "Therefore, strategic partnership with Azerbaijan is of great importance. I thank Azerbaijan for its active role in ensuring energy security," Varhelyi said.
U.S. State Department's Senior Advisor for Global Energy Security Amos Hochstein praised Azerbaijan's contribution to the diversification of Europe's energy supply through the SCG. "This project is important not only for a reliable gas supply to Europe, but also for the development of the gas market. We are happy to support this project", said Hochstein.
Today, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met with Kadri Simson. The parties discussed the possibility of increasing gas supplies to Europe through the SCG, noting that this project plays an important role in diversifying supplies.
