BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 2. Azerbaijani gas supplies to Slovenia, which began on August 1, are transported through Italy, an informed source told Trend.
"The volumes are still small, but this trade operation through Italy, which borders Slovenia, is being conducted for the first time," he noted.
Azerbaijan's SOCAR and Slovenia’s Geoplin, the largest gas supply company, signed a memorandum of understanding in Baku on July 17, marking the first step in gas cooperation between Azerbaijan and Slovenia.
"The parties agreed that if Azerbaijan has surplus gas, it will coordinate potential supplies to Slovenia as needed," the source said.
Slovenia’s domestic gas consumption is less than 1 billion cubic meters per year, and it is almost entirely met through imports from various sources.
Earlier in June, during Baku Energy Week, the Slovenian delegation expressed a desire to meet about one-third of its gas needs with Azerbaijani gas. It is noteworthy that Geoplin supplies approximately 50 percent of the retail gas market in Slovenia.
Slovenia’s main gas pipeline network, spanning 1,121 kilometers, facilitates gas imports from Italy, Austria, and Algeria. This network is operated by Plinovodi, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Geoplin. Algeria remains one of Slovenia’s major gas suppliers.