The State Oil Company of the Azerbaijani Republic (SOCAR) could complete a pilot project for the gasification of the Albanian city of Korca by the end of 2026, the Azerbaijani Energy Ministry said in a statement.
“The presentation of the Nur project – the gasification of the Albanian city of Korca – took place in Albania on April 19. It was attended by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Belinda Balluku, Sotiraq Filo, the mayor of Korca, Azerbaijani Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov and Executive Director of SOCAR Balkan Murad Heydarov,” the ministry said.
This project is being implemented at a very important and strategic moment for Albania, the Albanian prime minister said at the presentation. “Successful implementation of a strategic project is possible only with international cooperation. We expect this project to be implemented by the end of 2026 and to provide gas to the population of Korca,” he said.
Shahbazov said the Nur project was the result of a high level of cooperation between the countries. He said Azerbaijan and Albania, as members of the Southern Gas Corridor, had been working together successfully to strengthen European energy security and diversify energy supplies, delivering 45.5 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani natural gas to European markets through the territory of Albania. The geography of Azerbaijan’s gas supply in Europe will expand and Azerbaijan’s activities related to the creation of the gas distribution infrastructure of European countries play a special role in this process.
“In this context Albania is a country that Azerbaijan attaches great importance to. The gasification project in Korca is to be implemented with Azerbaijani investments by SOCAR. As the first step in developing Albania’s gas infrastructure, this project carries strategic significance and symbolic value for the country,” Shahbazov said. “This initiative means increased energy access and decreased reliance on traditional fuels like coal and firewood. Albania, while maintaining its strategic transit role, will also become a gas-importing and consuming country from this pipeline,” he said.
Energy partnership between the countries also has a lot of potential for expansion in the field of green energy, he said.
SOCAR signed a memorandum of understanding with the Albanian Infrastructure and Energy Ministry and Albgaz on the sidelines of COP29 in Baku in November 2024. The memorandum aims to develop gas infrastructure in Korca. SOCAR opened an office in Albania and signed agreement on cooperation with Albgaz to initiate the project in February this year. The feasibility study is ready with investment estimated at approximately 21 million euros.
Initially, the focus will be on establishing a gas distribution network throughout the city, with particular emphasis on serving local enterprises. The distribution system will be connected to the exit point of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline, or TAP, which delivers natural gas from Azerbaijan to Europe via Albania.
Korca was chosen as the pilot project for Albania’s national gas infrastructure development strategy, supported by SOCAR, because the city’s residents have proven to be responsible in paying for utilities, with no outstanding debts to water, waste-water treatment or electricity companies.
In the future, the project will be expanded to the cities of Pogradec and Erseke. Overall, Albanian authorities aim to complete development of the country’s gas infrastructure by 2030.
The TAP pipeline’s capacity is being increased by 1.2 billion cubic meters, enabling Albania to receive another 200 million cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas and Italy 1 bcm from January 2026.
