Azerbaijan voices possibility of new countries' joining to SGC

/By AzerNews/

By Aynur Karimova

Azerbaijan's Energy Minister Natig Aliyev has raised the possibility of Iranian, Iraqi and Israeli gas to supply Europe via the Southern Gas Corridor.

Aliyev made the statement at a meeting with Eldar Saetre, the new President and Chief Executive Officer of Norwegian Statoil ASA Oil and Gas Company last week.

Saetre, who was visiting Baku to attend the opening ceremony of the first European Games, said ensuring energy security and reducing gas dependence are issues of priority for Europe, and mentioned Southern Gas Corridor's role in this regard.

The Southern Gas Corridor, aimed at diversifying energy supply to enhance Europe's energy security, will connect the Trans-Anatolian and Trans-Adriatic pipelines.

At the initial stage, the gas, which will be produced as part of the second stage of development in Azerbaijan's giant Shah Deniz field, will stand as the primary source for the Baku-initiated energy corridor.

Azerbaijan, which has become an important energy player, has created opportunities to diversify export routes not only for itself, but also for the entire region.

Speaking at the Caspian Oil & Gas Conference on June 3, Minister Aliyev said that gas from Central Asia and the Middle East can also be supplied via Southern Gas Corridor.

TANAP, the main component of the Southern Gas Corridor set to commence shipments of natural gas to Turkey, is attracting the attention of new countries that can become real gas suppliers via the pipeline.

One of these countries is Iran, which in April expressed its readiness to return the international arena and join TANAP.

Iran, sitting on 33.6 trillion cubic meters of proven gas reserves or 18 percent of total global gas reserves, voiced its intention to buy stakes in this project that will eventually allow the country to transport its blue energy to Europe through the Southern Gas Corridor.

Another country interested in TANAP is Iraq. Oil Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi expressed interest in the project and claimed that there was great potential for Iraq to join the project in an interview with Trend.