BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 19
By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend:
Southern Gas Corridor represents a reliable contributor to the Slovak energy security with regards to the future energy needs, Head of mission of the Slovak Embassy in Azerbaijan Milan Lajciak told Trend.
Lajciak said that Azerbaijan represents for EU with the crude oil and gas deliveries an important part of EU energy security.
“With this regard, it is nothing more than fully to agree with President Ilham Aliyev´s speech during the recent 7th Ministerial Meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council. He mentioned that the Southern Gas Corridor project is a project of energy security, of energy diversification and that energy security today is a matter of national security of all countries as well as energy diversification is important for consumers and producers,” Lajciak said.
He noted that Slovakia is a country with huge density of transportation crude oil and gas pipelines from the East to EU member states.
“We have East – West and North – South pipeline connections going through Slovak territory. Though currently we are not receiving Azerbaijani crude oil either gas, the Southern Gas Corridor represents a reliable contributor to the Slovak energy security with regard to the future energy needs,” Lajciak added.
The Southern Gas Corridor, which is comprised of Shah Deniz 2, the South Caucasus Pipeline Expansion, the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), and the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) became fully operational on December 31, 2020.
Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) AG confirmed on Dec. 31 the commencement of gas flows from Azerbaijan. The first gas has reached Greece and Bulgaria, via the Nea Mesimvria interconnection point with DESFA, as well as Italy, via the Melendugno interconnection point with SNAM Rete Gas (SRG).
TAP transports natural gas from the giant Shah Deniz field in the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian Sea to Europe. The 878 km long pipeline connects with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) at the Turkish-Greek border in Kipoi, crosses Greece and Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Southern Italy.
As a key part of the Southern Gas Corridor, TAP is strategically and economically important to Europe and essential in providing reliable access to a new source of natural gas. TAP plays a significant role in boosting Europe’s energy security, supply diversification, as well as decarbonization objectives.
The first meeting of the SGC Advisory Council was held on February 12, 2015, the second meeting - on February 29, 2016, the third meeting - on February 23, 2017, the fourth meeting - on February 15, 2018, the fifth meeting – on February 20, 2019, and the sixth meeting was held on Feb.28, 2020.
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