Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to the US, Elin Suleymanov, has released the following statement welcoming the Shah Deniz consortium’s decision to transport natural gas to Europe through the TAP pipeline.
“We welcome today’s announcement by the Shah Deniz consortium to select the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) to transport Azerbaijani natural gas through the Trans-Anatolian pipeline (TANAP) into Europe. Azerbaijan has long advocated for diverse and competitive markets to ensure energy security in Europe and the region, and this decision is an important step toward achieving that goal.
“Azerbaijan is pleased that its natural gas will enjoy this means of delivery to European markets as the Southern Gas Corridor is realised. As project implementation begins, we will continue to work with our international partners, particularly the US, to promote greater regional integration and achieve our shared strategic goals.”
SOCAR statement
President of State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) Rovnag Abdullayev voiced support for Shah Deniz consortium's plans to work with European interconnector projects to deliver gas to multiple countries across Southeast Europe. “Beyond Shah Deniz, we are confident that Azerbaijan’s gas exports will increase dramatically as fields like ACG Deep, Absheron, Umid and Shafag-Asiman are developed, and we see the pipeline route towards Austria as a natural market for this gas. The development planning of both pipeline routes lays the foundation for future growth and we appreciate the support of the European Commission throughout this process,” Abdullayev said.
EU statement
In a similar vein, EU Energy Commissioner Günther H. Oettinger also commented on the decision: "We have a definite commitment from Azerbaijan that gas will be directly delivered to Europe through a new dedicated gas pipeline system. Whether the system consists of two gas pipelines – TANAP and TAP – or one single pipeline as earlier projects had foreseen – does not make any difference in terms of energy security. We now have a new partner for gas, and I am confident that we will receive more gas in the future."
Supplies to meet increased demand
The International Energy Agency forecasts that EU gas demand will increase from currently 526 billion m3 to 622 billion m3 by 2030. Additionally, the EU's Energy Roadmap 2050 forecasts that gas imports will rise, notably due to a decline of home production. This additional demand should be covered by new, additional gas suppliers.
The shareholder structure of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline project comprises of Swiss Axpo (42.5%), Norwegian Statoil (42.5%) and German E.ON (15%).
Adapted from press release by Cecilia Rehn.