Azerbaijan relies on EU to push Southern Gas Corridor
By Amina Nazarli
Azerbaijan highly relies on the support of the European Union in the implementation of the Southern Gas Corridor project.
This statement was remarked by Elshad Nasirov, the vice president of Azerbaijan’s state energy company SOCAR, at the 22nd international Caspian Oil and Gas Exhibition and Conference in Baku on June 3.
He said that the Southern Gas Corridor project has been initiated by Azerbaijan and is aimed at strengthening Europe’s energy security.
“For this reason, we expect support, concrete activities and reciprocity from the EU in all issues related to the implementation of the project,” Nasirov said.
The Southern Gas Corridor is one of the priority energy projects for the EU. It envisages the transportation of gas from the Caspian Sea region to European countries through Georgia and Turkey.
This large project aims at diversifying routes and sources of energy supply that will enhance Europe's energy security. The Southern Gas Corridor project will ensure Caspian gas supply to European markets for the first time in history.
At the initial stage, the gas which will be produced as part of Stage 2 of Azerbaijan development of its Shah Deniz field will stand as main source for the Southern Gas Corridor project. Other sources can also connect to this project at a later stage.
As part of Stage 2 of Shah Deniz field's development, gas will be exported to Turkey and European markets by expanding the South Caucasus Pipeline and the construction of both the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline and Trans-Adriatic Pipeline.
The contract for development of the Shah Deniz offshore field was signed on June 4, 1996. The field’s reserve is estimated at 1.2 trillion cubic meters of gas.
Earlier SOCAR head Rovnag Abdullayev said that Azerbaijan will carry out the most part of the construction and installation work within the second phase of development of Shah Deniz gas condensate field in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea.
“Shah Deniz-2 project and the expansion of the South Caucasus gas pipeline will create more than 10,000 jobs in Azerbaijan,” he said.
The volume of gas produced at Shah Deniz field stood at 9.9 billion cubic meters in 2014, while the volume of condensate production at this field totaled 2.3 million metric tons (18.7 million barrels), compared to 9.8 billion cubic meters of gas and 2.48 million metric tons of condensate (19.6 million barrels) in 2013.
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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli
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