BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 15. The Southern Gas Corridor - with the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) as its last leg into the EU - was always regarded as an important addition to EU gas supplies and EU energy security, former UK ambassador to Azerbaijan James Sharp told Trend, as TAP marks 5 years since the start of commercial operation.
"Even if the total percentage it contributed was not huge, TAP was seen as an important diversification of supply, a way of delivering pipeline gas from the Caspian region for the first time, and through a route which did not depend on Russia. The Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 showed clearly how prescient the Azerbaijani government and its partners had been - the importance of TAP for EU energy security was transformed from "nice to have" to "necessary"," he said.
The former ambassador pointed out that Azerbaijani reliability as an energy partner has never been in doubt.
"bp is are very happy operating here, with the contract stability and good relationship they enjoy with SOCAR and the Azerbaijani government. But the value of Azerbaijan’s reliability as a partner was dramatically highlighted following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the EU’s attempts to reduce its imports of Russian pipeline gas. Suddenly Azerbaijan became the "go-to" provider for replacement gas supplies for South East Europe in particular. So, the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria on TAP - which was originally seen as a small offshoot to the main purpose of TAP in delivering gas to Italy - suddenly became crucial for a large number of countries in Central and South East Europe who needed to reduce or stop Russian gas imports. I’ve been impressed at how quickly Azerbaijan responded by increasing gas export volumes, agreeing deals and finding ways to deliver its gas to a much wider range of countries than had originally been anticipated. This was a true sign of a reliable partner," said Sharp.
As for the future expansion of TAP, the former ambassador noted that if it is to happen - Azerbaijan, Türkiye and their partners will need to take on some of the financial risk.
"Adding gas from Turkmenistan via a Trans-Caspian pipeline could help make the finances more attractive. One interesting angle is the recent start of the supply of Azerbaijani gas to Syria. While not involving TAP and while these initial volumes may not be large, it highlights opportunities for Azerbaijan to play an increasing role in the region, especially in the event of a wider peace agreement," he concluded.