Azernews.Az

By Nigar Abbasova

The Southern Gas Corridor, one of the most complex and important gas chains ever developed in the world, may attract new sources for supply to Europe.

Advisor to the Turkish president Cemil Ertem said that Turkey wants to connect Israeli gas supplies to the project, noting that the issue was discussed during the meeting between Turkey’s Energy and Natural Resources Minister Berat Albayrak and his Israeli counterpart Yuval Steinitz.

In a meeting held on the sidelines of the 23rd World Energy Congress in Istanbul, the sides also discussed the possibility of constructing a gas pipeline between the two countries.

Ertem emphasized that energy agreements between the two countries can be a catalyst for solving problems in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East regions.

Israel's Ambassador to Baku Dan Stav earlier said his country can join the Southern Gas Corridor, while the issue can be seriously considered once the energy regulation and policy get approved in Israel. He mentioned that Israel lacks relevant experience, since gas companies first explored the substantial amounts of gas in the Mediterranean in around 2009-2010.

An environmentally friendly and efficient energy source, natural gas is an essential component of the energy mix of the European Union (EU), which constitutes one-quarter of primary energy supplies contributing mainly to electricity generation, heating and fuel for transportation.

The SGC is a priority project for the EU in a bid to ensure the security and diversity of the EU’s energy supply. The project is intended to maintain energy security, while the progress in its implementation, whilst vast majority of other large-scale projects is practically stalled proves its pivotal importance in this regard.

At the initial stage, the gas to be produced as part of the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz field is considered as the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor projects. Other sources can also connect to this project at a later stage.

The project envisages the transportation of 10 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas from the Caspian region to the European countries through Georgia and Turkey.

Stretching over the area of 3,500 kilometres, crossing seven countries and involving more than a dozen major energy companies, SGC comprises several separate energy projects, including TANAP, South Caucasus Pipeline, Trans Adriatic Pipeline, and Shah Deniz development.

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Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova

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