BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 3. Natural gas will remain a cornerstone of energy security for decades to come, and this security must be ensured through timely investments and clear policy frameworks, Azerbaijan's Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazov said at the 12th meeting of the Ministers of the Consultative Council on the Southern Gas Corridor and the 4th meeting of the Ministers of the Consultative Council on Green Energy are being held in Baku, Trend reports.
"We are in an era of electricity driven by artificial intelligence, data centers, and digitalization. The demand for electricity is growing rapidly, and the only scalable and flexible resource that can reliably support this growth is still natural gas. This reality necessitates a pragmatic reassessment of natural gas. Natural gas will remain the cornerstone of energy security for decades to come, and this security must be ensured through timely investments and clear policy frameworks.
In this context, the advisory councils put forward practical solutions and form the basis of this platform, promoting cooperation on natural gas, renewable energy, and diversified energy transport routes," the minister noted.
Shahbazov emphasized that the Southern Gas Corridor and Azerbaijani gas continue to play an important role in ensuring energy security and supply stability through diversification:
"Despite the existing restrictions, Azerbaijan has increased natural gas supplies to Europe by more than 56% since 2021, and the transmission capacity of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) has been expanded by 1.2 billion cubic meters. Azerbaijan has also expanded its supply network from Southeastern Europe to the Middle East and Central Europe, starting with gas supplies to Syria, Germany, and Austria. Currently, Azerbaijani gas is exported to a total of 16 countries, 10 of which are members of the European Union," he added.
Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel