The role of Azerbaijan and the Southern Gas Corridor in terms of ensuring energy security is obvious, Senior Advisor for Global Energy Security Amos Hochstein said at the 8th ministerial meeting within the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council in Baku, Report informs.
“The United States believes that as we continue towards advancement of the energy transition, we must continue to make sure that we have reliable and affordable sources of energy. So that the world does not face energy shocks which result in price shocks and so obviously directly impact global economic conditions for the people of the United States to Asia and Europe. The role of Azerbaijan and the role of the Southern Gas Corridor is clear. The importance of it is clear," he said.
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The US is represented by Senior Advisor for Global Energy Security Amos Hochstein and US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Earl Litzenberger at the 8th Advisory Council on the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC), US Embassy Spokesperson told Report.
Hochstein delivered a speech at SGC Advisory Council virtually.
The eighth ministerial within the Advisory Council on the SGC has kicked off in Baku. The meeting is attended by European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson, EU Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy Olivér Várhelyi, high-ranking officials of the US, the UK, Turkey, Georgia, Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, Croatia, Hungary, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, North Macedonia, Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine and Turkmenistan.
BP, BOTASH, TPAO, TANAP, TAP, SNAM, Fluxys, ICGB, Romgaz, SACE, SGC, Enagas, Uniper, TotalEnergies, Equinor, Lukoil, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank and other structures are also represented in the event.
The event will feature plenary sessions on the expansion of the Southern Gas Corridor towards new energy markets, including the countries of the Western Balkans, energy transition from hydrocarbon fuels, and measures to reduce emissions of methane to carbon neutrality: paths, challenges, schedules.
A presser following the results of the meeting is planned.
The SGC, which includes the development of the Shah Deniz field and a gas pipeline chain starting in Azerbaijan and stretching to southern Italy, was created with the aim of diversifying natural gas supplies to the EU and reducing the number of EU countries with a single source of supply. The last European section of the SCG - the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), through which commercial deliveries began on December 31, 2020, allowed the start of supplying Greece, Bulgaria, and Southern Italy with Caspian gas.