Azerbaijan exported 1,120,220.670 cubic meters of natural gas in January this year, report.az informs, citing the State Customs Committee.
According to the information, the total cost of natural gas exported last month amounted to $100,026,390.
Of this, 1,007,604.850 cubic meters were delivered to Turkey, and 112,615,820 cubic meters to Georgia.
The total cost of natural gas exported to Turkey in January amounted to $87,629,870, while supplies to Georgia made $12,396,520.
In January 2021, Azerbaijan produced over 3.08 million tons of crude oil and gas condensate, out of which it sold 2,604,4 cubic meters. In January, the production of gas increased by 0.6%, while that of commercial gas by 7.9%.
It is noteworthy that the TAP transports natural gas from the Caspian region to Europe by connecting to the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP). TAP travels through Greece and Albania, under the Adriatic Sea, and comes ashore in Italy.
The operational capacity of the TAP is set to equal 20 bln, while TANAP's will hit 31 bln, with an overall capacity of the South Caucasus pipeline reaching 30 bln cubic meters after the expansion. After the expansion, the SGC will also provide Balkans with respective services.
The SGC comprises the key components as follows: the South Caucasus Pipeline Expansion Project (SCPX), the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), and the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP).
In 2021, Georgia is set to receive 1.014 bln cubic meters of gas in exchange for allowing Azerbaijani gas to pass through its territory. This year, the volume of additional gas for Georgia will amount to 508.7 mln cubic meters, with this surpassing the volume of gas (888.6 mln cubic meters) Georgia was supplied by in 2020 via the SGC by 126 mln cubic meters.
Azerbaijan put forward the initiative to create the Southern Gas Corridor. Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev said that they drew up the Energy Map for Eurasia. In his words, Azerbaijan assumed the responsibility of funding the project by building three interconnected 3,500 km pipelines, with this enabling European customers to get Azerbaijani gas. Aliyev stressed this is beneficial for both Europe and Azerbaijan.
In 2021, Azerbaijan's giant Shah Deniz field gas started flowing to the EU. The Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) aims to develop gas supply routes passing through the Southern Caucasus and Turkey to supply gas from the region to Europe. The Georgian PM Giorgi Gakharia defined this fact as a tremendous step forward.
Georgia is a host country in the SGC, with this implying that following the corresponding agreements, Georgia will get the SGC gas at a considerably reduced rate. The options contract enables the country to get around 5% of gas passing through it annually. The deal is valid before 2066. The additional gas purchase and sale agreement is in force until 2026. In accordance with the agreement, Georgia will receive around 500 mln cubic meters of gas annually.
