Azerbaijan resumes gas export to Russia

The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) intends to restore gas exports to Russia on June 4, a source in SOCAR told Trend on June 3.

“The daily volume of gas exports is expected to reach two million cubic meters,” the representative said.

The repair work on the gas pipeline in the north direction has been completed. Gas supply has been suspended since January 2014.

“Gas supply has not been restored yet,” SOCAR President Rovnag Abdullayev said earlier. “There is no impact on the contract as it has been concluded under the conditions when we can ensure the gas supply at any period.” SOCAR exported 1.37 billion cubic meters of gas to Russia in 2013.

Azerbaijani gas is supplied to Russia on the basis of the contract on the purchase and sale of Azerbaijani gas with a possibility of extension. The deal was signed between SOCAR and Russia’s Gazprom in Baku on October 14, 2009.

Gazprom was to receive two billion cubic meters of gas in 2011 and over two billion cubic meters in 2012, in accordance with a 2010 supplement to the contract. However, the Russian side did not get the full amount of the planned volume as of 2012.

The additional agreement to double the volume of Azerbaijani gas purchased by Russia, from 1.5 billion cubic meters to 3 billion cubic meters, was signed by both sides in Sochi on January 24, 2012.