BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 26. The Southern Gas Corridor does not transport Russian gas to the EU, said Tim McPhie, Spokesperson for Climate Action and Energy at the European Commission, addressing unfounded claims against Baku regarding the export of Russian gas, Trend reports.
"The Southern Gas Corridor, which supplies the EU markets, is only connected to Azerbaijani gas fields, not to the broader Azerbaijani national gas system. So therefore, the Southern Gas Corridor does not transport Russian gas to the EU.
The information we have is that Azerbaijan imported less than 1 bcm of gas per year from Russia for its domestic consumption in the last two years, while Azerbaijan is exporting around 24 bcm of gas in total, about half of which goes to the EU market. So as I said, that's our overall objective on diversifying away from Russian gas is very clear, and I think the answer there on the origins of the gas that is imported from Azerbaijan is also very clear," he said at a daily briefing.
In July 2022, Azerbaijan and the EU reached an agreement to double gas supplies through the Southern Gas Corridor to 20 bcm annually by 2027, up from current levels.
The Southern Gas Corridor began delivering Azerbaijani gas to Europe on December 31, 2020. It connects the Caspian Sea region to European markets via Georgia and Türkiye.
The project, which cost $33 billion—significantly lower than the initially forecasted $45 billion—is expected to recover its capital expenditures within 8 to 10 years.