The President of the European Commission (EC), Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Alíev, signed the memorandum of understanding on Monday to double the supply of Azerbaijani gas to the community bloc in 2027.
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“We will double Azerbaijan’s gas supply to the EU. With this memorandum of understanding we are committed to expanding the Southern Gas Corridor,” Von der Leyen said in a press appearance after signing the document at the Zagulba presidential residence, some 25 kilometers northwest of Baku on the picturesque coast of the Caspian Sea.
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The German said it is already a very important supply route for the EU, currently delivering more than 8 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe a year.
The European Commission specified that the objective is to reach at least 20,000 million cubic meters of gas per year in 2027.
We will expand its capacity to 20,000 million cubic meters in a few years
“Starting next year we should already reach 12,000 million cubic meters. This will help compensate for the cuts in Russian gas supplies and contribute significantly to Europe’s security of supply,” stressed the president of the Community Executive.
Von der Leyen stressed that even before Russia’s “brutal invasion of Ukraine, the supply of Russian gas to Europe was no longer reliable.” The EU, he indicated, therefore decided to diversify supplies “moving away from Russia and closer to more reliable partners.”
The president of the EC affirmed, addressing Aliev, that Azerbaijan “is a crucial energy partner” for Europe, and “has always been reliable”.
“Not only for our security of supply, but also on our way to climate neutrality,” he stressed, stressing that the memorandum of understanding signed on Monday will further strengthen this alliance.
Aliev recalled that the Southern Gas Corridor is 3,500 kilometers long and has been operating at full capacity for less than two years, with all segments completed. “We already see the benefits of this cooperation,” he said.
The Southern Gas Corridor is fed by the giant Shah Deniz II field, in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea. It consists of the Trans-Adriatic Gas Pipeline (TAP), its last section, which connects the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) at the Turkish-Greek border at Kipoi, crosses Greece and Albania and the Adriatic Sea and ends in southern Italy.
The issue of energy security is more important now than ever and long-term, predictable and highly reliable cooperation in the field of energy is of course a great asset.
TAP’s capacity is currently 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year.
Von der Leyen further stressed that the memorandum also addresses the issue of renewable energy, as Azerbaijan has “tremendous potential” in this field, especially in offshore wind power and green hydrogen.
“The memorandum creates the basis for solid cooperation in this field, so that Azerbaijan gradually turns from being a supplier of fossil energy to a very reliable and important partner for the EU in renewable energy“, said.
The head of the EC also stressed that the cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan has to adapt to the response to climate change, which includes, for example, methane emissions.
“Our memorandum of understanding establishes commitments to reduce methane emissions throughout the entire supply chain,” said Von der Leyen, who encouraged Aliev to join the global methane commitment, currently supported by 119 countries.
Little reliability of Russia
The agreement comes after Russia has already totally or partially cut gas to twelve member states.
In recent months, deliveries to Europe through Ukraine have also decreased by almost 30% and those made through the Nord Stream gas pipeline, which transports Russian gas directly to Germany under the Baltic Sea, have decreased by 60%.
This gas pipeline is currently in a technical stoppage for “planned maintenance” and its viability is uncertain due to the problems in the revision of turbines that Russia has found due to Western sanctions, Gazprom has warned.
For all these reasons, the EU decided to diversify supplies “away from Russia and closer to more reliable partners,” he said.
The head of the EC stated that Azerbaijan “is a crucial energy partner” for Europe, and “has always been reliable.” The Caucasian country currently exports gas to Georgia, Turkey and the EU, specifically to Italy, Greece and Bulgaria.
INTERNATIONAL WRITING
*With information from EFE
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