Azerbaijan’s Response To Russia’s Invasion Has Included Plans For Increased Energy Exports To Europe

Leadership Strategy Azerbaijan’s Response To Russia’s Invasion Has Included Plans For Increased Energy Exports To Europe Zenger News Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. The first digitally native newswire, restoring trust in the news. Following New! Follow this author to stay notified about their latest stories.

Got it! Oct 28, 2022, 07:16pm EDT | New! Click on the conversation bubble to join the conversation Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin A Gazprom employee looks over a natural gas treatment facility at the Nord Stream 2 pipeline’s entry . . .

[+] point in northwest Russia. Azerbaijan has sought to increase energy exports to Europe in response to Russia’s invasion. Peter Kovalev/Getty Images By Joseph Hammond European Union leaders pledged in May to stop Russian energy imports as a part of a broader effort to censure and sanction Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.

Enter Azerbaijan, which has pledged to increase natural gas imports to Europe following the start of the war. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said during a visit to Baku in July 2022: “Not only are we looking to strengthen our existing partnership which guarantees stable and reliable gas supplies to the EU via the Southern Gas Corridor. We are also laying the foundations of a long-term partnership on energy efficiency and clean energy, as we both pursue the objectives of the Paris Agreement.

” Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also described Azerbaijan as “a key partner in our efforts to move away from Russian fossil fuels. ” Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev (R) and European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen (L) . .

. [+] shakes hands after signing a memorandum of understanding on increasing import of Azeri natural gas as part of their meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan on July 18, 2022. (Photo by Presidency of Azerbaijan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Anadolu Agency via Getty Images In fact, the two goals are interlinked in Azerbaijan, as they are in many petroleum-exporting countries.

The more that Azerbaijan develops alternative energy for domestic consumption, the more petroleum there will be for export. MORE FOR YOU Meet The Unknown Immigrant Billionaire Betting Her Fortune To Take On Musk In Space Drinking While Puppy Training Jeter Campaign For Grand Wagoneer Evokes Best Of Jeep’s Approach Currently, the majority of Azerbaijan’s electricity is produced by fossil fuels, with the balance coming from hydroelectric sources, one of the benefits of Azerbaijan’s mountainous terrain. Yet its geography means that it has great potential for a variety of other alternative and renewable energy resources as well.

Wind power in the country has the potential to produce 800 MW per year. Indeed one origin story for “Baku,” the name of Azerbaijan’s capital city, comes from “Badi Kube,” which translates from old Persian as “City of Wind. ” “We fully support the territorial integrity and sovereignty and independence of all countries and we have supported Ukraine in this difficult time,” said Khazar Ibrahim, Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to the U.

S. in an interview with Zenger News. “It is really important to end this situation by diplomatic means, as it is important for both regional and global peace.

” Khazar Ibrahim, Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to the U. S while giving the interview reiterated that . .

. [+] despite a recent border dispute with Armenia in September, his country would continue to adhere to its international commitments to boost imports into Europe. However, it will take time for greater energy exports to materialise.

However, Azerbaijan will continue to flow even if liquefied natural gas is currently flowing to Europe. (Zenger News Via Azerbaijan Embassay in USA). Zenger Via Azerbaijan Embassay in USA The ambassador pledged that despite the recent border conflict with Armenia in September would still meet its global commitments to increase volumes of imports to Europe.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said this month that talks have begun to expand the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). That pipeline currently delivers 10 billion cubic meters of gas each year from Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz field to Europe. Italy accounts for 8 bcm per year of those imports, with Greece and Bulgaria taking the rest.

Increased energy exports from Azerbaijan will take years to reach maturity. Another potential source of natural gas for Europe is liquefied natural gas (LNG). Azerbaijan will continue to develop new pipeline-based exports to Europe regardless of LNG developments in Europe, the ambassador said.

“We don’t speak of competition,” said Ibrahim, “The more sources, the better it is overall for the market. At times of geopolitical crisis, in particular, the stability of the global energy market is achieved through cooperation with our partners around the globe. ” The ambassador confirmed those talks were progressing.

He also said that the Southern Gas Corridor linking Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, and Greece will be crucial to expanding natural gas exports. “We committed with the EU that by 2027 we will double natural gas exports to our partners elsewhere in Europe. From a current 10 billion bcm to European markets to 20 bcm by 2027 with increase each year in between,” said Ibrahim.

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