Azerbaijan wants to add 10 countries to its gas delivery geography

BAKU. April 25 (Interfax) - Azerbaijan plans to start gas deliveries to Hungary and Slovakia at the end of 2023, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said.

"Today, Azerbaijani gas is exported to Georgia, Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, and Italy, and starting this year to Romania. By the end of this year, subject to the availability of all necessary interconnectors, we plan to start supplying gas to Hungary and Slovakia," Aliyev said on Tuesday during a visit to Sofia.

Azerbaijan is continuing negotiations with Albania on the construction of a local gas distribution system, as well as with Slovakia, as a member of the "Solidarity Ring" initiative, or STRING, which would supplement the Southern Gas Corridor route for the supply of Azerbaijani gas to Europe.

"We will increase the geography of our gas supplies from 6 to at least 10 countries. We plan to expand our presence in the European gas market," Aliyev said.

Aliyev noted that in 2021 Azerbaijan supplied 8 bcm of gas to Europe. This year, the goal is to increase volumes to 12 bcm. "In all, our gas exports this year are planned at the level of 24.5 bcm. Gas production and export volumes will grow, because we will increase output at existing gas fields. In the coming years we also expect the start of natural gas production at new fields," the president said.

Gas deliveries from Azerbaijan to the EU should increase to 20 bcm by 2027, he added.

As previously reported, there was a ceremony in Sofia on Tuesday for the signing of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation among the gas transmission system operators from Bulgaria, Bulgartransgaz, Romania's Transgas, Hungary's FGSZ, and Eustream from Slovakia Eustream, as well as the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan, as part of the Ring of Solidarity initiative.