BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 26
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
Ukraine is looking into possibilities of importing Azerbaijani natural gas to be transported to the European market as part of the implementation of the second and third phases of the Southern Gas Corridor project, Sergey Shteluk, economic adviser at Ukrainian embassy in Baku, told Trend.
Shteluk noted that Ukraine’s joining the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council can be the first step towards this.
“This issue was discussed at a high level during the meeting of the joint intergovernmental commission for economic cooperation under the chairmanship of Azerbaijan’s energy minister Parviz Shahbazov and Ukraine’s infrastructure minister Vladislav Krikli in January 2020, as well as during the fourth meeting of Ukraine-Azerbaijan working group for cooperation in the energy sphere. The work on this matter will continue,” said the adviser.
Shteluk pointed out that there are several options for Ukraine’s importing natural gas to be transported to Europe via the Southern Gas Corridor.
“Given the ramified gas transportation infrastructure of Europe, the countries, which do not have a direct access to the Southern Gas Corridor, may get this gas with swap supplies,” said the adviser.
Moreover, he noted that with the commissioning of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), as well as the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB), South-East Europe will have access to Azerbaijani gas.
“After Romania’s joining this project, Ukraine will get an opportunity to import Azerbaijani energy resources via the Bulgaria-Romania-Ukraine route,” he said.
The adviser said that the choice of one of the above options or generating new ideas is a matter requiring careful study and calculation of the economic feasibility of such supplies.
“We acknowledge Azerbaijan’s role as of the regional leaders in the energy sphere. Successful development of hydrocarbon fields in the Caspian Sea, as well as the implementation of the Southern Gas Corridor is a proof of that. As one of the most large-scale projects, the Southern Gas Corridor will ensure access of Azerbaijani gas to European markets, thereby strengthening the regional energy security,” said Shteluk.
What makes the Southern Gas Corridor different is its ability to ensure real diversification of natural gas supplies to European countries, thereby expanding opportunities both for consumers and suppliers, he added.
“Ukraine is taking steps to diversify sources and routes of hydrocarbon supplies. Ukraine fully supports the Southern Gas Corridor project implemented by Azerbaijan. For my part, I would like to express confidence that despite the global energy crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Southern Gas Corridor project will be completed as scheduled,” he said.
The Southern Gas Corridor comprises the following four projects: 1) operation of Shah Deniz natural gas and condensate field and its full-field development; 2) the operation of the South Caucasus Pipeline and its expansion (SCPX ), 3) the construction of the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP ) and 4) the construction of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP).
The projects have an estimated investment cost of approximately $40 billion. Upon completion, the Shah Deniz 2 project will add a further 16 billion cubic meters of natural gas per annum to 10.9 billion cubic meters per annum (maximum production capacity) already produced under Shah Deniz 1 project.
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