BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug.4. Europe’s gas imports from Azerbaijan rose by 0.9 billion in Q2 2022, as compared to the same period in 2021, Trend reports with reference to Oxford Institute of Energy Studies (OIES).
Reportedly, pipeline imports from non-Russian sources in Q2-2022 were 3.8 Bcm (10 per cent) higher, at 41.1 Bcm.
“This included a 4.5 Bcm increase in supply from Norway and a 0.9 Bcm increase in supply from Azerbaijan, offset by a 1.6 Bcm decline in imports from North Africa. The rise in imports from Norway and Azerbaijan was effectively capped by pipeline, rather than production, capacity. The pipelines from Norway to the EU have continued to operate at close to full capacity since the start of winter 2021/2022, with high utilisation rates continuing into the present summer. It is only the flow via the Langeled pipeline to the UK (which has alternative supplies from its own production and in the form of LNG) that has tailed off since the end of winter.9 At the same time, the year-on-year increase from Azerbaijan reflects the fact that in Q2-2021, the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) was still ramping up flows, following its launch at the beginning of the year. The TAP reached full capacity in Q4-2021, so no year-on-year increase of supply from that source can be expected at the start of winter,” reads the latest OIES report.
The report reveals that pipeline supply from Algeria is partly constrained by the cessation of transit flows to Spain via Morocco in late 2021.
“However, given that Algerian LNG exports are also lower year-on-year and that there is spare capacity on the Algerian pipeline route to Italy, the lower pipeline flow from Algeria to Europe appears to be due to constraints in Algerian gas production relative to domestic demand.”
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