BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 27. SOCAR PETROLEUM opened another modular gas station in the Fuzuli district of Azerbaijan, which is located on the Hajigabul-Bahramtepe-Minjivan road.
Currently, SOCAR-branded gas stations are operating in Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur, in particular, in the cities of Shusha and Lachin, Fuzuli, Aghdam, Gubadli (Eyvazli village), Khojavand (Hadrut village), and Jabrayil (Shukurbeyli village) districts.
In 2023, the volume of transportation of Kazakh oil for export from the port of Aktau amounted to 3.3 million tons (an increase of 1.1 million tons by 2022). At the same time, the increase in the volume of exports was due to an increase in the volume of raw materials shipped in the direction of the oil pipeline "Baku - Tbilisi - Ceyhan" - from 250,000 tons in 2022 to 1.3 million tons in 2023.
Out of this volume, 1 million tons of oil were shipped from the Tengiz field to Baku.
The new head of SOCAR Midstream Operations, a subsidiary of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), has been appointed. Farhad Guliyev has been appointed to replace Fuad Ahmedov, who has headed this structure since its establishment (since 2015). SOCAR Midstream Operations is responsible for representing SOCAR's interests in onshore oil and gas pipelines, mainly in Azerbaijan.
Equinor clarified that the deal to sell its assets in Azerbaijan to the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR), in addition to stakes in the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli, Garabagh fields, and the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) project, includes the structure of Ashrafi-Dan Ulduzu-Aipara (ADUA).
It has become known that the issue of Trans Adriatic Pipeline
expansion will be discussed and clarified on March 1 in Baku during
the 10th meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Board.
The expansion of the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC), which brings gas
from the Caspian Sea region to Europe, was among the topics
discussed at a conference on security in the Black Sea region
organized by the U.S. "Caspian Policy Center."
At the same time, the total volume of gas transported for Turkey itself via TANAP (since 2018) reached 25.2 bcm, of which 5.61 bcm in 2023. Note that TANAP transports gas produced as part of the second stage of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz field from the Georgian-Turkish border to Turkey's western border with the EU.
Trend exclusively learned about the start of negotiations between SOCAR and Türkiye's Botas on the extension of Azerbaijani gas supplies through the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum (BTE) pipeline.
"At the end of 2024, the mid-term contract signed in 2021 between SOCAR and Botas on supplying 11 bcm of gas to Türkiye from September 2021 and until the end of 2024 through the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline expires. Negotiations on the continued use of this pipeline for the delivery of Azerbaijani gas to Turkey are starting," the source said.
It became known that Italy received about 10 bcm of gas from Azerbaijan through the Southern Gas Corridor in 2023.
Azerbaijan is expected to reach peak production of marketable gas in 2024, which can be held for several years, the source in the government told Trend.
" The volume of marketable gas was 34.96 billion cubic meters in 2022 and 35.4 bcm in 2023. It is not excluded that in 2024 this figure will reach a peak of 36 bcm, and there are reasons to believe that this plateau can be held steadily for about four years," the source said.
Northern Macedonia may join the ranks of countries that routinely take Azerbaijani gas, and an announcement to this effect may be made on March 1 in Baku on the sidelines of the 10th meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) Advisory Council.
"North Macedonia started receiving Azerbaijani gas for the first time at the end of 2023, and the debut deliveries amounted to 12 mcm. This year, the deliveries continued and they may become regular, which depends on the demands of this Balkan state and Azerbaijan's capabilities," the source said.
If such regularity is achieved, North Macedonia may become the 10th country in the world, for which a certain source (albeit small) is Azerbaijani gas.
According to Bloomberg, gas prices in Europe for 2023 have fallen by almost 60 percent to the average price in 2022. But there are new challenges: 1) Europe is relying more on renewables and will have to deal with intermittent power generation 2) with the loss of Russian gas, Europe has had to find other sources to meet its fuel needs, which means competing for a share of foreign LNG supplies. The publication cites the opinions of reputable experts in the global gas market, the essence of which is as follows - "prices could rise again, even this heating season if there are sudden supply disruptions or the cold weather is longer".
Authoritative investment banking group "Morgan Stanley" believes that in 2024 the demand for gas in the EU may recover compared to its fall in 2023, but remain below the level of 2021 - one of the peak years for the eurozone in terms of gas consumption.
It became known that bp, which is the operator of the Azeri-Chirag Deepwater Gunashli (ACG) field development project in Azerbaijan, started a new program of four-dimensional (4D) seismic survey of high-definition seabed nodes at the field. This is the world's largest seismic data acquisition project launched by BP in all its aspects - area size, cost, and program duration. The cost of the program, which will focus on the ACG reservoir formations at Balahany and Fasil, is approximately $370 million. The program will continue for five years (2024-2028).
Reuters received information from traders of London-based LSEG
that three Aframax-type tankers under the flag of Azerbaijan -
"Karabakh", "Shusha" and "Zangazur" were used by SOCAR from
November 2023 to January 2024 to deliver oil from the port of
Primorsk on the Baltic to the Turkish terminal Nemrut Bay for the
needs of STAR refinery, which is owned by SOCAR.
An informed source told Trend that such oil deliveries from Russian
Lukoil to the STAR refinery will be carried out until 2026
inclusive.
"A gas carrier with 65,000 tons of LNG will deliver the first shipment of liquefied natural gas this year to Pakistan on February 2-3," the source in the government told Trend.
The year 2023 became a record in the world in terms of average daily oil production - 102 million barrels, as Special Advisor to the Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Alessandro Blasi wrote on his page in social networks. Global coal production in 2023 cumulatively reached a historic annual high of about 8.5 billion tons.
"Global electricity demand in 2023 also set an annual record of about 28,000 terawatt hours. And gas production also approached a record, with more than four trillion cubic meters for 2023," Blasi said.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) said Azerbaijan's electricity demand growth in 2023 has slowed to one percent in 2023 from more than 4 percent in 2022. There was a 7 percent growth in 2021 for this indicator.
STP Polymer on the territory of Sumgayit Technology Park, has
increased production of polymer pipes by 1.5 times in 2023,
including for the needs of Azerbaijan's fuel and energy sector. The
total production capacity of the plant is more than 250,000 tons of
products per year.
The company produces about 10 types of pipes and parts for the fuel
and energy sector and municipal services, and exports some of its
products.
The Ministry of Energy of Azerbaijan is forcing the appointment of energy managers responsible for the efficient use of energy in economic entities with an annual energy consumption of more than 1,000 tons of oil equivalent, as well as in non-residential buildings with an area of at least 10,000 square meters or an annual energy consumption of more than 250 tons of oil equivalent.
As follows from the review of the "Sustainable Development Goals" of the State Statistics Committee (SSC) for 2010-2022, the share of the population with access to electricity in Azerbaijan is 100 percent, i.e. there are no problems with the possibility of energy supply of the country's residents. According to the document, in 2022, energy supply from renewable energy sources (RES) in Azerbaijan amounted to 245,700 thousand tons of oil equivalent (NET), of which 55.9 percent - from hydroelectric power plants, 39.1 percent - from the use of biofuels and waste incineration, 2.1 percent - from solar energy (SES) and 2.9 percent from wind energy (WES). In 2010, the production capacity of RES facilities, amounted to 110.1 W per person, in 2022 the indicator reached 131.2 W per person.
Narmin Jarchalova was appointed Chairman of the Board of COP29
(UN Climate Summit Session) operating company in Azerbaijan.
Previously, she supervised environmental protection issues at the
Heydar Aliyev Foundation.
To note, COP 29 will be held in Azerbaijan in November 2024.
IGB (Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria) said that hydrogen blending and everything related to these technical processes is a key part of the future development of the Greece-Bulgaria Interconnector (IGB).
Meanwhile, Azerbaijan together with international energy companies plans to create about 19 GW of capacity for production and export of green energy, hydrogen, and green ammonia in 2031-2037.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) invested €49 billion in 2023 in climate operations and environmental stability projects around the world, an increase of €10 billion from 2022. In addition, the bank invested €21 billion in projects under REPower to reduce the EU's dependence on fossil fuels and the energy transition. Notably, the bank's total investment in projects around the world in 2023 amounted to €88 billion, meaning that €70 billion went to help countries meet their commitments under the UN Paris Climate Agreement. In total, the EIB's investments in green initiatives through to the beginning of 2024 have reached more than €400 billion.
The authoritative rating agency Moody's forecasts the issuance of bonds related to the sustainable development of economies in the world in 2024 for a total amount of $950 billion, of which "green bonds" will account for $580 billion.
Advisor to the Azerbaijan Tourism Association Muzaffar Agakerimov has stated at an event in Baku on "Non-Tariff Barriers to Trade" that important works will be carried out in Azerbaijan after COP29 to develop eco-tourism.
The Energy Service of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic reported that electricity generation from solar power plants (SPPs) in Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (NAR) increased by eight percent in 2023.
"The Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic produced 60.93 million kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2023 due to SES, which is 4.52 million kilowatt-hours more than in 2022," the ANR energy service said.
ANR has been declared a "green energy zone" and is attracting investors from Turkey, China, UAE, and EU countries to develop its RES potential, estimated at 5 GW.
Vahid Hajiyev, Special Representative of the President of Azerbaijan in Jabrayil, Gubadli, and Zangilan districts, which are part of the East Zangazur Economic Region, noted that Karabakh and East Zangazur have been declared a "green energy" zone and environmental protection is the main priority in large-scale rehabilitation and reconstruction works in the territories liberated from occupation.
"Major projects are being implemented in this direction. Solar power plants will be built in Jebrail. If we talk about construction, administrative buildings in the villages to be built in the next stages are envisaged to be provided with green energy. The village of Agali will be supplied with energy from renewable energy sources. In general, innovative approaches to the concepts of "smart city" and "smart village" will be applied," Vahid Hajiyev said.
First Deputy Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan Elnur Aliyev met with the Chief Executive Director of the Saudi Fund for Development Sultan Abdulrahman Al-Marshad during his visit to Saudi Arabia. The sides discussed areas of cooperation on renewable energy projects, Azerbaijan's cooperation with ACWA Power Company, and the investment potential of the territories of Azerbaijan liberated from occupation. Sultan Abdulrahman Al-Marshad noted the possibilities of the realization of joint projects with Azerbaijan and the prospects of their financing.
However, Acwa Power is implementing a wind farm construction project in Azerbaijan (works are due to start in February) and several other projects in the field of "green" energy, including the study of the potential for the production of "green" hydrogen and ammonia.
Türkiye's company "Vat Enerji" in partnership with "Energizer" company will conduct a study on energy efficiency improvement in different sectors of the economy and households of Azerbaijan by the order of the Ministry of Energy of Azerbaijan.
Representatives of the Ministry of Energy of Azerbaijan, the British University of Warwick, and Azerbaijan State University of Oil and Industry (ADNSU) on January 26 discussed the possibility of cooperation on an international double degree program in the specialty of "renewable energy sources" (RES).
In 2024, the promotion of "green" technologies and support for startups in this direction will be the focus of the Center for Analysis and Coordination of the IV Industrial Revolution of Azerbaijan. This was announced by Executive Director of the Center for Analysis and Coordination of the IV Industrial Revolution (4SIM) Fariz Jafarov at a press conference dedicated to the results of activities for 2023 on January 26.
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