BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 30. Southern Gas Corridor must be expanded to be available for more countries, Romanian minister of energy Virgil-Daniel Popescu said in an exclusive interview with Trend.
“Romania and the Republic of Azerbaijan have a long tradition in terms of energy cooperation relations. The Strategic Energy Partnership has strengthened and expanded year by year. During last year, the two countries had an extremely consistent bilateral dialogue and signed important documents regarding the implementation of some strategic energy projects. Romania appreciates the active participation of Azerbaijan in joint efforts to strengthen Europe's energy security, especially in this challenging energy context, through its key role in developing the Southern Gas Corridor and its commitment to increase the Azerbaijani gas volumes for the European market,” he said.
Virgil-Daniel Popescu went on to add that a time reference point in the Europe-Azerbaijan relationship was the signing on July, 2022, of the MoU related to a Strategic Energy Partnership which opened a new chapter of the energy cooperation between Europe and Azerbaijan and includes a commitment to double the capacity of the Southern Gas Corridor so that, by 2027, at least 20 bcm of Azerbaijani gas can be delivered to the EU annually.
“This will contribute to the diversification goals included in the REPowerEU plan and help Europe to end its dependence on Russian gas. In 2021, Azerbaijan delivered 8 bcm to Europe, and this year the target is 12 bcm. This will represent almost half of the total export, which Azerbaijan plans for this year, at the level of 24.5 bcm. However, Europe-Azerbaijan cooperation is much more extensive, aiming at accelerating the implementation of renewable energy sources and addressing the issue of methane emissions. The EU and Azerbaijan share the ambitious goal of accelerating the development and deployment of renewable energy production and transmission capacity in order to maximize synergies between the EU's transition to a clean energy and Azerbaijan's vast untapped energy potential in the field of renewable energy, especially the offshore energy sector,” said the minister.
He noted that Europe has largely found its balance and path forward after the shock of the multiple crises it has gone through.
“On this way, the Republic of Azerbaijan has been, is, and will be a reliable partner, which opened a new gas supply path for Europe especially through its essential role in the implementation of the Southern Gas Corridor, a project that must be expanded so that more and more countries in Europe to benefit from this valuable gas transport infrastructure,” added Virgil-Daniel Popescu.
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