Azerbaijan’s state oil and gas company, SOCAR, said on Monday it has become the main natural gas supplier to Turkey, Kallanish Energy reports.
“If a year ago Azerbaijani gas occupied the 4th-5th place in the Turkish market, now we are in the first place, which is very important for us and for Turkey, because gas ensures the energy security of each country,” said CEO Ilham Aliyev, in a statement.
Azerbaijan, through SOCAR and its partnerships, is currently a major gas exporter to Europe thanks to the development of the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli field, started in 1994.
Through the so-called Southern Corridor, Azeri gas is transported to Europe via Turkey, reducing the continent’s dependency on Russian gas supply. The Shah Deniz gas field, in the Caspian Sea, has enabled the diversification of energy source for Turkey too.
Aliyev didn’t disclose volumes in the statement, nor if expiring gas supply contracts have been renewed. However, the TANAP pipeline, part of the $45 billion Southern Gas Corridor, will transport 6 billion cubic meters per year (Bcm/y) to the Turkish market, and 10 Bcm/y to Europe.
According to Rystad Energy, Turkey currently imports around 59 Bcm of gas, both via pipelines and liquefied natural gas (LNG). Piped supplies from Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan accounted for 33 Bcm, or 73% of total imports, in 2019.
