BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. Azerbaijan is confidently expanding its presence in the European energy market through new supply routes, thereby increasing the region's energy security.
On this account, national regulatory bodies in the energy sector of Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine have officially approved new transport capacities—Route 2 and Route 3—which is an important step towards strengthening regional gas connectivity and securing supply for Ukraine.
The decisions made provide the possibility of natural gas supplies to Ukraine from two diversified sources:
- liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Alexandroupolis FSRU floating terminal via the IGB pipeline;
- Caspian pipeline gas through the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) via IGB.
On December 22, all new product capacities—Routes 1, 2, and 3—will be simultaneously offered on a competitive basis on the Regional Booking Platform (RBP).
Since December 1, 2025, Azerbaijani natural gas supplies to private and industrial consumers in North Macedonia have also begun. Thanks to productive cooperation between the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) and companies M-Gaz and CNG Systems, a pilot virtual gasification project was implemented, similar to the one that has been successfully operating in Bulgaria since 2024.
On December 10, SOCAR and Hungarian company MVM ONEnergy signed an agreement for the supply of 800 million cubic meters of natural gas to Hungary, which will take effect from January 1, 2026.
The new routes and agreements open up the possibility of supplies to countries in Central and Southeastern Europe, as well as the Balkans, confirming the strategic importance of the Southern Gas Corridor. At the same time, there is a clear need to take real and timely steps to expand this infrastructure in order to meet the growing demand for gas and ensure the region's sustainable energy security. It should be remembered that as early as 2022, Azerbaijan and the European Commission signed a memorandum to expand the capacity of the Southern Gas Corridor from the current 10 billion cubic meters per year to 20 billion cubic meters by 2027. Time is running out, and to achieve this goal, active cooperation from all stakeholders and concrete actions are needed to implement the expansion plans.
As a result of the 2021 market test, the long-term capacity of TAP will be increased by 1.2 billion cubic meters per year starting in 2026. Of this volume, 1.04 billion cubic meters per year are reserved for supplies to Italy, and 0.16 billion cubic meters per year will go to Albania.
Addressing the 11th Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council Ministerial Meeting and the 3rd Green Energy Advisory Council Ministerial Meeting, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said that the geography of the country's gas supply in Europe will definitely grow because today Azerbaijan is already involved in the creation of gas distribution networks in some European countries.
"Some of them do not have it. Some of them need to expand it. Azerbaijan as an investor is planning to do it. So, the geography of our gas supplies will definitely grow in different ways, including interconnectors.
Of course, we need to think about joint efforts in the expansion of the existing gas pipeline system. The Southern Gas Corridor is a tremendous success story for all of us. The 3,500-kilometer integrated pipeline system today is the main artery for energy security for many countries. And now it is working at full capacity. Whether it’s the South Caucasus Pipeline, TANAP, or TAP—three integral parts of the Southern Gas Corridor—all are fully packed. So we need to expand," the head of state noted.
Undoubtedly, European countries that receive Azerbaijani gas and are interested in increasing their volumes, as well as countries that want to gain access to gas from Azerbaijan, understand that this requires expanding the existing infrastructure.
Thus, previously, European Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jørgensen said in an exclusive interview with Trend that the EU is working with partner countries to increase gas supplies through the Southern Gas Corridor.
"This is even more important as we aim to phase out our dependency on Russian fuels and diversify our energy supplies," he said.
According to him, the EU aims to continue with Azerbaijan and other partner countries the development of the bilateral trade of natural gas via the Southern Gas Corridor.
The Romanian side emphasizes that concrete steps are needed to expand the Southern Gas Corridor into Southeastern Europe and the Balkans. Meanwhile, Hungary notes that the country has always supported the construction and expansion of the Southern Gas Corridor, which is a key project not only for Hungary or the Central and Eastern Europe region but for all of Europe.
Moldova also expresses firm support for the expansion of the Southern Gas Corridor and its role in strengthening Europe’s energy security. The country seeks to enhance its energy independence by expanding connections with alternative supply routes, including through partnerships within the framework of the Southern Gas Corridor.
Thus, the expansion of the Southern Gas Corridor and the increase in Azerbaijani gas supplies to Europe are becoming not only commercial but also strategic priorities. To achieve the goal of 20 billion cubic meters by 2027, timely and concrete actions are necessary, as well as strengthening cooperation among partner countries and investing in infrastructure modernization. Azerbaijan continues to demonstrate its ability to meet the growing demand for gas in Europe and plays a key role in diversifying energy supplies.
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