BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 16. The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) is working with the Bulgarian government and the country’s key energy institutions not only to supply gas to Bulgaria but also to expand deliveries to other European countries, said Murad Heydarov, Director of SOCAR Balkan, Trend reports.
"From the very beginning, our plan has been to supply gas to as many European countries as possible. In line with this, we are implementing our strategy to strengthen our presence in various gas markets. Since last year, we have been supplying gas to 10 European countries, 8 of which are EU member states. Naturally, Romania, Hungary, and Serbia are among our clients as well," he told Bulgarian media.
"That is why we are cooperating with the Bulgarian government and its energy institutions not only to ensure gas supplies for Bulgaria itself but also to facilitate deliveries to other countries in need of additional, alternative gas from Azerbaijan."
Heydarov stressed that Azerbaijan has a robust, long-term business strategy for Southeastern Europe.
"We consider Southeastern Europe – the Balkans in particular – to be among the most attractive markets for our hydrocarbon resources. Bulgaria is one of our most important clients and partners, as we are developing many areas of cooperation, especially in the energy sector. Naturally, we have worked closely within the Southern Gas Corridor transport system and continue to do so," he said.
Azerbaijan exports gas to Europe via the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), the final leg of the Southern Gas Corridor. The pipeline has an initial capacity of 10 billion cubic meters per year, with potential expansion to 20 billion cubic meters.
The latest data shows that Azerbaijan produced 25.2 billion cubic meters of natural gas from January through June 2025. Of this, the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) block accounted for 6.6 bcm, Shah Deniz for 13.8 bcm, Absheron field for 0.8 bcm, and SOCAR itself for around 4 bcm.
During this period, gas exports totaled 12.1 bcm, including 6.1 bcm to Europe, 4.9 bcm to Türkiye (of which 2.9 bcm was via TANAP), and 1.1 bcm to Georgia.