The volume of Azerbaijani gas exported through the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) in 10 months of 2021 exceeded 14 bcm, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said.
“From January to October 31, 2021, i.e. over 10 months, over 14 bcm of Azerbaijani gas were exported along this route to Georgia, Turkey, Italy, Greece, Bulgaria and we can say that half of this volume was used by EU consumers,” Aliyev said yesterday at the VIII Baku Global Forum “World after COVID-19”.
The President of Azerbaijan noted that in the European countries to which Azerbaijani gas is delivered, there is no price crisis and there are no cases of freezing from the cold.
“This proves once again that the SGC is an energy security project and a project that is important for the whole of Europe,” Aliyev emphasized.
According to the president, UGK not only means diversification of routes, but also of gas sources. “Gas delivered from Azerbaijan is a new source for Europe. Azerbaijan is a responsible producing country that exports not only oil, but also gas, and from this point of view, we will play an important role in energy security in the future,” the President said.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev launched the Southern Gas Corridor on May 29, 2018. The project cost was $ 33 billion.
The main components of the SGC are: Stage-2 of the Shah Deniz project, the expansion of the South Caucasus pipeline Baku-Georgia-border with Turkey, the construction of the Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline (TANAP) from the eastern to western borders of Turkey and the Trans-Adriatic gas pipeline (TAP), connecting Greece, Albania and southern Italy.
The total gas supplies through the SGC are calculated for 16 bcm of gas per year, of which 10 bcm – to Europe, another 6 bcm – to the western regions of Turkey. Deliveries to Turkey began in the summer of 2018.
Deliveries of Azerbaijani gas from the Shah Deniz field to Europe for consumers in Italy, Greece and Bulgaria began on December 31, 2020.
Exports to Europe are carried out via the Trans-Adriatic Gas Pipeline (TAP), with a throughput capacity of 10 billion cubic meters per year. Currently, the expansion of the UGK capacity by 2 times is being discussed.
Caspian Barrel
