BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 16. Talks on the possible launch of gas export from Azerbaijan to the Western Balkans are underway, Elnur Soltanov, Deputy Minister of Energy of Azerbaijan, said in an interview with LGP News magazine, Trend reports.
"Some time ago we started a dialogue with the countries of the Western Balkans about possible gas supplies to the region. The European Commission is also involved in this dialogue, which is a natural part of the new energy policy in the Western Balkans toward a decarbonized economy. There is a demand for additional gas from our other partners. It is obvious that sometimes even small volumes of additional gas can mean huge diversification for a particular country," he said.
According to the DM, the REPower EU plan and the "External EU activity in the energy sector in a changing world" document notes that the expansion of the capacity of the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) to 20 billion cubic meters (bcm) per year will play an important role in ensuring gas supply in Southeastern Europe and the Western Balkans. The document also underlines the need to intensify energy cooperation between Azerbaijan and the EU, given the strategic importance of the SGC.
"Azerbaijan exported 19 bcm of natural gas, including 8.2 bcm to Europe, in 2021. This year we will increase the supply to Europe up to 12 bcm," Soltanov added.
Meanwhile, on July 18, 2022, a “Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Partnership in the field of energy between the European Union represented by the European Commission and the Republic of Azerbaijan" was signed between Azerbaijan and the EU.
The Sides agreed to support bilateral trade of natural gas, including through exports to the EU via the SGC, of at least 20 bcm of gas annually by 2027, in accordance with commercial viability and market demand.
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