The European Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, highlighted the bilateral energy partnership and discussions on extending the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) for the EU’s security of supply, during her visit to Baku, Azerbaijan, on Friday 1 March, as part of the 10th Ministerial Meeting of the SGC Advisory Council and the 2nd Meeting of the Green Energy Advisory Council.
The Southern Gas Corridor, which has been fully operational since 2021, was partially funded by the European Union and transports Azeri gas to Italy, Georgia, Greece and Bulgaria.
“Today, supplies are 6% higher than the initial 2021 volumes. As a result, last year European countries received more than 11 billion cubic metres of stable and secure gas from Azerbaijan, and we are working together to increase these figures”, she told a press conference.
With Azerbaijan due to chair the 29th COP later this year, Commissioner Simson’s visit aims to reaffirm the strategic partnership between the EU and Azerbaijan in the field of energy, as enshrined in the Memorandum of Understanding between the two parties, signed by the President of the European Commission in 2022.
The SGC ministerial session brought together 23 partner governments and provided an opportunity to discuss the extension of capacity in the Southern Gas Corridor, which is not only an important route for diversifying gas supplies for the EU, but also for its neighbouring countries.
“The infrastructure needs to be improved and we need to focus on financing”, explained Parviz Shahbazov, Azerbaijan's Energy Minister, acknowledging that “EU policy has changed” and that banks and financial institutions were beginning to stop giving financial aid to fossil fuels. “Instead of entering into long-term contracts, they are mainly involved in selling gas on the spot markets, which also has a certain impact on our position”, he added.
As part of her visit, Commissioner Simson also took part in a round table discussion on the strategic partnership in the development and transmission of green energy between the governments of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Hungary, focusing on the Black Sea Cable infrastructure project.
She then took part in a round table discussion on cooperation in the specific field of wind energy, given that Azerbaijan has offshore wind energy potential of 157 gigawatts in the Caspian Sea, according to World Bank figures.
Finally, she witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in renewable energy projects in Azerbaijan between the Ministry of Energy and the Spanish company Elecnor, which specialises in infrastructure and renewable energy, and a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in wind energy between the Azerbaijan Renewable Energy Agency and the Wind Europe association. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)