BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. Deliveries of Azerbaijani natural gas to private and industrial consumers in North Macedonia began on December 1, an informed source told Trend.
“The supplies were made possible thanks to productive cooperation between the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), M-Gaz and CNG Systems,” the source said.
According to the source, the initiative represents a pilot expansion of a virtual gasification project that has been implemented in Bulgaria since 2024.
The project, carried out in partnership with SOCAR, M-Gaz and CNG Systems, started with deliveries of compressed natural gas (CNG) to industrial and private consumers not connected to a gas pipeline or distribution network. SOCAR, through M-Gaz, provides the required volumes of natural gas to CNG Systems, which then supplies industrial and private customers in Strumica. A gas distribution network has been built in the city and is supplied with compressed natural gas.
Thanks to the partnership, Azerbaijani natural gas now provides heating and hot water to six kindergartens, eight schools, one hospital, several municipal administrative buildings in Strumica, more than 400 households, and several industrial consumers.
The number of countries purchasing Azerbaijani gas has reached 14. Azerbaijan supplies natural gas to Europe via the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline, the final leg of the Southern Gas Corridor. The pipeline currently has a capacity of 10 billion cubic meters per year, with the potential to expand to 20 billion cubic meters. Following TAP’s 2021 Market Test, the pipeline’s long-term capacity will be expanded by 1.2 bcm/a from 2026. Of this, 1.04 bcm/a has been booked for delivery to Italy and 0.16 bcm/a for Albania.