Russian gas falls to 12% of EU imports thanks to supplies from Azerbaijan - commissioner
BAKU. March 3 (Interfax) - Russian gas has fallen form 45% of overall EU gas imports in 2022 to 12% in 2025 thanks to supplies from Azerbaijan, EU Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jorgensen, said.
"In 2020 [on December 31], gas started flowing from Azerbaijan to Europe through the Southern Gas Corridor. In 2022, the strategic importance of the corridor became abundantly clear. To replace Russian energy, we turned to our most trusted and reliable partners, and Azerbaijan was chief amongst these. With the help of Caspian gas, the EU's dependency on Russian gas fell from 45% of overall imports in 2022 to 12% in 2025, and these numbers will continue to fall," Jorgensen said on Tuesday at the 12th Ministerial Meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council and the 4th Ministerial Meeting of the Green Energy Advisory Council.
In less than two years, the remaining 35 billion cubic meters of Russian gas that the EU is still importing every year "will be out of our markets," he said.
The EU has significantly increased natural gas deliveries through the Southern Gas Corridor. And since late 2020, the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline has already delivered more than 50 billion cubic meters of Caspian gas to Europe, Jorgensen said.
"We continue to reduce our dependencies on Russian gas, and the importance of our partnership with Azerbaijan will increase. Since the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline started commercial deliveries, Azerbaijan has earned around 24 billion euros in natural gas export revenues from EU buyers through 2024," he said.
The future of energy security lies in the clean transition and electrification, Jorgensen said. "In the EU, we are deploying renewable energy capacity at record levels. In 2025, for example, renewables generated 45% of our electricity, while EU retail electricity prices remain stable compared to the year before. I know that Azerbaijan also foresees electrification as a catalyst to reduce domestic fossil fuel consumption, therefore opening additional opportunities for gas export revenues. Moreover, I know that there is enormous potential for electrification throughout the whole region, especially when it comes to heating in households and industries," he said.
Jorgensen said the EU had committed to a connectivity agenda, aiming to improve transport, energy, and digital connections with the Black Sea region, Turkey, the South Caucasus and Central Asia.
"Regional electricity connectivity helps to reduce energy system costs, facilitate the integration of renewable energy, and enable two-way electricity flows and trading. This will increase regional power trade and ensure that we make the best use of regionally distributed renewable energy resources. The EU stands ready to explore further opportunities to strengthen energy connectivity and the energy transition in the region, including through the mobilization of guarantees and blended finance instruments," Jorgensen said.
