BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 31. From June 1 to 3, Baku will once again become one of the key venues for global energy dialogue. Within the framework of Baku Energy Week 2026, representatives of governments, international energy companies, financial institutions, and the expert community will discuss issues of energy security, the development of traditional and green energy, investments, and regional connectivity.
The scale of the event once again confirms Azerbaijan's growing role in the global energy architecture. This year, 274 companies from 44 countries have confirmed their participation in Baku Energy Week, and the forum's program provides not only for the signing of new agreements but also for the first meeting of energy ministers of the D-8 countries, as well as the first Azerbaijan-US Economic Dialogue.
However, the significance of the upcoming meetings goes far beyond a traditional sector-specific forum. In essence, Baku is becoming a platform where not only today's energy is discussed, but the agenda for future cooperation between Azerbaijan, Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East, and other partners is shaped.
It is particularly telling that the current Baku Energy Week is taking place just a few months after the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council meeting held this March. At that time, high-ranking representatives of the European Union, consumer states, producers, and transit countries of energy resources also gathered in Baku. The main outcome of those discussions was the reaffirmation of the strategic importance of the energy partnership between Azerbaijan and Europe.
While a few years ago cooperation was built primarily around oil and gas supplies, today it is acquiring a more comprehensive character. The European Union views Azerbaijan not only as a reliable supplier of natural gas but also as one of its future partners in the field of renewable energy, the transmission of green electricity, and the development of new energy corridors.
This strengthening of Azerbaijan's position in the global energy system is the result of a consistent and long-term energy strategy pursued under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev. It is the combination of a pragmatic resource policy and active infrastructure development that has allowed the country to occupy a stable niche as a reliable energy supplier while simultaneously entering a trajectory of green energy transition.
At the same time, the gas component remains the foundation of relations. Moreover, against the backdrop of the ongoing transformation of the European energy market, its importance is not decreasing, but rather intensifying.
Following the energy crisis of recent years, Europe is actively diversifying its fuel supply sources. Geopolitical processes in the Middle East remain an additional factor of uncertainty, impacting global energy markets and logistics chains. Under these conditions, Azerbaijan continues to strengthen its reputation as a reliable and predictable supplier.
It is no coincidence that the need to expand the existing infrastructure of the Southern Gas Corridor was discussed in Baku in March. Existing capacities are already operating practically at their limits, while the demand for Azerbaijani gas in Europe continues to grow.
As the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, stated during the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council meeting in March this year, Azerbaijan aims to expand its presence in the European energy market.
"We have already started to supply two more countries in Europe - Germany and Austria. Thus, today, 10 members of the EU receive gas from Azerbaijan. In the coming years, with respect to the new production of gas from Azerbaijani fields, we may increase the output. But for that, definitely - and we spoke about that last time - we need to think about the expansion of the existing gas transportation infrastructure, because today the Southern Gas Corridor is already fully packed. We are looking for other extensions and interconnections in order to be able to supply as much as the market needs and probably will need even more, taking into account the current situation in the world, and in order to be able to export as much as we can," the head of state said.
Statistics confirm the steady growth of cooperation. According to the TAP AG consortium, during the first four months of 2026 alone, 3.72 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas were delivered to Europe via the Trans Adriatic Pipeline. Out of this, more than 3 billion cubic meters went to Italy - the largest buyer of Azerbaijani gas in Europe. Since the start of TAP's commercial operations, total transportation volume has already exceeded 58 billion cubic meters.
In parallel, overall export indicators are also growing. According to the State Statistical Committee, in January–March 2026, Azerbaijan exported 6.257 billion cubic meters of natural gas, which is 6.1% higher than the figure for the same period last year.
Meanwhile, the potential for further supply growth remains significant. Production is expected to begin this year at the ACG deepwater gas field, and a new phase of development at the Shah Deniz field will kick off in 2028. According to Azerbaijani estimates, the implementation of these projects will eventually allow for an additional 10 to 15 billion cubic meters of gas annually.
In fact, this concerns the creation of a resource base for a new stage of energy cooperation with Europe. This is precisely why European partners have increasingly spoken in recent years not just about maintaining current supply volumes, but about expanding them.
Characteristically, this position is openly confirmed in Brussels as well. The European Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jørgensen, emphasized in an interview with Trend that Azerbaijan’s contribution to European energy diversification will only grow in importance.
According to him, the European Union views Azerbaijan as a reliable and long-term partner, and energy cooperation between the parties is of strategic importance amid the EU's total phase-out of Russian gas imports.
At the same time, relations between Azerbaijan and Europe are already expanding beyond exclusively gas topics. Cooperation in the field of renewable energy is occupying an increasingly prominent place on the bilateral agenda.
For the European Union, the energy transition is one of the key development priorities. However, the transition itself is impossible without stable sources of energy and reliable suppliers of gas, which is viewed as a critical transition resource toward a low-carbon economy. This is why for Europe, the gas and green directions of cooperation with Azerbaijan do not contradict each other, but are complementary elements of a unified strategy.
Azerbaijan is already demonstrating serious progress in implementing renewable energy projects. In January this year, the largest wind power plant in the region with a capacity of 240 MW, implemented by ACWA Power, was commissioned. Earlier, a 230 MW solar power plant built by Masdar began operations.
Concurrently, the implementation of new projects continues, which should significantly increase the share of clean energy in the national energy balance.
It is on this foundation that the next phase of the energy partnership between Azerbaijan and Europe is taking shape - moving from gas supplies toward the export of green electricity and the development of trans-regional energy corridors.
The expansion of SOCAR's foreign presence serves as additional confirmation of the growing international significance of Azerbaijan's energy sector. The company recently opened a representative office in Italy - the country that remains the primary European market for Azerbaijani gas. Simultaneously, SOCAR continues to strengthen its positions in Central Asia and is preparing to open a representative office in Uzbekistan, reflecting the company's growing role in forming new energy and transport links across the space from the Caspian to Europe.
The country's transit potential remains equally important. Azerbaijan already plays a key role in the transportation of oil from Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to global markets. Amid the growing interest in the Middle Corridor, the energy component of transit cooperation is also taking on new meaning, turning the country into one of the most vital hubs of the Eurasian energy system.
Therefore, Baku Energy Week 2026 is not just another industry forum. It reflects a broader process of strengthening Azerbaijan's role in global energy. While natural gas remains the foundation of cooperation with international partners today, ensuring energy security and supply stability, large-scale projects in the field of renewable energy, cross-border electricity transmission, and new energy corridors are being added to this foundation for tomorrow.
This is precisely the main trend of recent years: cooperation with Azerbaijan in the energy sphere is simultaneously a cooperation of the present and the future - where reliable gas supplies ensure the stability of today, and the development of green energy forms the bedrock of tomorrow's energy sector.
