BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 13. Amidst the ongoing conflicts in Eurasia, the question of the continent's energy security remains a top priority. When one talks about diversifying energy resources in Europe these days, one cannot have that conversation without bringing up the pivotal role Azerbaijan plays in it. Specifically, the game-changing role of the Southern Gas Corridor.
President Ilham Aliyev's forward-thinking energy policy, initiated with the launch of the Southern Gas Corridor project, is now proving itself not only as a successful approach but arguably the most effective and appropriate way to assist Europe in these challenging times.
Up until now, Georgia, Türkiye, Greece, Bulgaria, Italy, Romania, Hungary, and Serbia have hopped on board with Azerbaijani gas system. Various interconnectors have been set up for this - starting from Trans-Adriatic Pipeline, Trans-Anatolian Pipeline, Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria, and the most recent one - Serbia Bulgaria Gas Interconnector. The Southern Gas Corridor is the driving force behind all of them.
The Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which is the European leg of the SGC, can move about 10 bcm of gas every year to different European markets. And the pipeline is set up in a way that it could bump up its capacity to a whopping 20 bcm per year. More than 31 bcm of gas have been supplied to Europe through TAP over the past three years. Only in 2023, some 11.8 bcm of gas were exported to Europe under short-term and long-term agreements.
Currently, eight countries are buying Azerbaijan's gas, six of which are in Europe. At the same time, this number is bound to climb in the future, as Azerbaijan is deep into discussions with several European countries, and these negotiations are at a crucial stage.
The European Commission tags Azerbaijan as a trustworthy partner. When it comes to gas supply, the Energy Commission of the European Union does not hesitate to label Azerbaijan as a pan-European supplier - and they're spot on. Sure, the quantity of gas Azerbaijan is shipping to Europe is not massive, hanging around 12 bcm, which is just half of the country's exports. But the diverse range of countries Azerbaijan covering totally justifies that "Pan-European supplier" title.
Speaking with local media, President Ilham Aliyev noted that the demand for Azerbaijani gas is there and will continue to grow.
"We have the resources, the "Shahdeniz" gas field is the largest gas-condensate field in the world. We started last year, but 1.5 billion cubic meters of gas will be extracted from the Absheron gas field this year. This is an additional resource for us. After that, at least such a task has been set before the end of this year, by December, I hope that first gas will be produced from the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli field as part of a project called "Deep Gas". The potential is quite immense there too.
We have other projects and the second phase of the "Absheron" gas field – a decision must also be made on that as well, i.e. an investment decision. If this decision is made, and I am sure it will be, the volume of annual production from “Absheron” will be 5 billion cubic meters. This is a very high figure. Apart from that, "Shafag", "Asiman", "Umid", "Babek", "Nakhchivan", "Karabakh" - preparation work is underway on all these fields, and their resource base is quite large," said President Ilham Aliyev.
However, amidst Azerbaijan's substantial efforts to bolster regional energy security, some European policymakers are throwing around baseless remarks. They are suggesting putting the brakes on gas cooperation between the EU and Baku, even calling to scrap the agreement to double supplies by 2027.
Whatever their reasons are, aside from the fact that it will hit Europeans hard, which is crystal clear, even to them, statements like these, especially when they come from top EU politicians, do nothing but harm, not only to themselves but also to the Azerbaijan-EU relations.
What Azerbaijan is currently undertaking for Europe has proven to be the most effective way to tackle the escalating energy crisis in the region. The number of those acknowledging this fact and seeking cooperation with Azerbaijan keeps on rising. By signing strategic partnership agreements or declarations with nine EU member states, Azerbaijan has already solidified relations with a third of all EU countries. Thanks to the substantial efforts Azerbaijan, under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, has invested in developing and modernizing crucial gas infrastructure, Europe can now enjoy the benefits, and the daunting energy crisis does not seem quite as unsolvable anymore.