Friday, February 4 2022 19:58

ArmInfo.The European Union expects that the export capacity of TAP (Trans- Adriatic Gas Pipeline) will increase in the very near future and will reach the projected 10 billion cubic meters per year. European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson stated  this on Friday, at a press conference in Baku on the results of the  8th meeting of ministers within the Advisory Council of the SGC,  Turan reports.

"We want to increase the supply of natural gas from Azerbaijan to  Europe to 10 billion cubic meters. To do this, we must achieve a  secure supply," she said.

According to her, the EU is in favor of expanding the capacity of the  SCG and increasing supplies from the Shah Deniz field.

SGC will play a big role in reliable gas supplies to South-Eastern  Europe.  "Currently, prices are rising in the energy market, and  therefore the Southern Gas Corridor is important for the energy  supply of this part of Europe," she noted.

As Minister of Energy of Azerbaijan Parviz Shahbazov stated at the  plenary session of the VIII Ministerial Meeting of the Advisory  Council of the Southern Gas Corridor in Baku, in 2021 more than 18.5  billion cubic meters of gas were exported to consumers in Georgia,  Turkey and Europe through the SCG. During this period, about 8.9  billion gas was supplied to European countries under long-term and  short-term contracts alone, he added.

The SCG can expand its strategic importance in ensuring energy  security through interconnectors between European countries. "We are  ready to cooperate with the European Commission and countries wishing  to purchase additional volumes of gas or import and export gas,"  Shahbazov said.

EU Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Oliver  Varhelyi , in turn, noted that "ensuring energy security will remain  a priority." "Therefore, strategic partnership with Azerbaijan is of  great importance. I thank Azerbaijan for its active role in ensuring  energy security," Varhelyi  said.

U.S. State Department's Senior Advisor for Global Energy Security  Amos Hochstein praised Azerbaijan's contribution to the  diversification of Europe's energy supply through the SCG. "This  project is important not only for a reliable gas supply to Europe,  but also for the development of the gas market. We are happy to  support this project", said Hochstein.

Today, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met with Kadri Simson. The  parties discussed the possibility of increasing gas supplies to  Europe through the SCG, noting that this project plays an important  role in diversifying supplies.