Starting from 2021, 16 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas will be delivered annually to Turkey, Italy, Greece and Bulgaria via the Southern gas corridor. Turkey will receive 6 billion cubic meters, Italy will receive 8, whilst Greece and Bulgaria are entitled to 1 billion cubic meters each. Azerbaijani gas will play a significant role in diversifying the gas imports of Greece and Bulgaria, as these states consume 4 and 3 billion cubic meters of gas per year respectively. However, given the fact that in 2019 EU gas consumption was approximately 470 billion cubic meters, an additional 10 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas will not play any meaningful role in Europe’s energy geopolitics.
The prospect of using the Southern gas corridor to export gas to the EU from other sources like Iraq, Turkmenistan, and Russia, is not realistic either.
In the new episode of “Crossroad,” Benyamin Poghosyan discusses these issues with Bulgarian energy security expert and editor of CCBS news Plamen Petrov.
CivilNet thanks the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) for their cooperation and support.
The Southern Gas Corridor and its Impact on European Energy Geopolitics
2020 the launch of the Southern Gas Corridor project is planned. As part of this project, consisting of three main gas pipelines (South Caucasian, Trans-Anatolian and Trans-Adriatic), from 2021, 6 billion cubic meters of gas will be supplied to Turkey, 8 billion cubic meters to Italy, and Greece and Bulgaria will receive another billion cubic meters each. Azerbaijani gas will be important in diversifying the energy sources of the last two states. Currently, Bulgaria consumes about 3 and Greece – 4 billion cubic meters of gas annually. However, taking into account the fact that in 2019 The European Union consumed around 470 billion cubic meters of gas, Azerbaijan’s 10 billion cubic meters of gas cannot have any significant significance on Europe’s energy geopolitics. For now, the prospects of exporting additional volumes of gas from other countries – Iraq, Turkmenistan, Russia, through the Southern Gas Corridor to Europe – are quite dim.
During the regular edition of the “Khachmeruk” program, political scientist Beniamin Poghosyan analyzes the developments related to the launch of the Southern Gas Corridor and discusses the issue with Plamen Petrov, a specialist in energy security and the editor of CCBC news site operating in Bulgaria.
Disclaimer: This article was contributed and translated into English by Alex Nanijanian. While we strive for quality, the views and accuracy of the content remain the responsibility of the contributor. Please verify all facts independently before reposting or citing.
Direct link to this article: https://www.armenianclub.com/2020/08/10/civilnet-the-southern-gas-corridor-and-its-impact-on-european-energy-geopolitics/