BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb.3
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
The expansion plans of the Southern Gas Corridor are of significant importance, as new gas suppliers are needed in the Balkans and South-Eastern European countries, which still depend on a single source of supply, Virgil-Daniel Popescu, Romanian Minister of Energy said in an exclusive interview with Trend.
“This project has gained new opportunities of development acknowledging the growing interest of many states in the region to access the Azerbaijani gas volumes that could reach the European market. It goes without saying that it not a matter of competition looking at the huge gas volumes arriving in Europe from the traditional source. But an enhancement of the Southern Gas Corridor transmission infrastructure by implementing the second phase of development, which will significantly increase the gas volumes from the Caspian area on the European market, is an extremely valuable process for the Europe's energy security,” he said.
Popescu pointed out that however, the plan for the expansion of the Southern Gas Corridor must capitalize on and take into account as soon as possible the opportunities and needs of the European gas market, given the clear direction set at EU level for the energy sector from the perspective of limiting fossil fuel use to reach a low carbon economy.
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