For First Time Since 2007 Russia to Resume Gas Deliveries to Azerbaijan

Russian gas supplies to Azerbaijan may become a reality this year. The technical issues of import of Russian gas in the amount of not less than 2 billion cubic meters are being worked out.

Azerbaijan began to experience growing demand for natural gas since the beginning of last year due to the growing domestic demand of the petrochemical complex. Total production reached 15 billion cubic meters per year, with the internal needs of up to 10 billion cubic meters. However, 5 billion cubic meters is supplied to Turkey and 1.5 billion cubic meters to Georgia.

Sources in the state oil company SOCAR said that Russia's support will be required prior to the development of the second stage of the Shah Deniz field in 2018. However, this is unlikely, since in this field the production will reach 16 billion cubic meters of gas, of which 10 billion m3 will be exported to Europe and 6 billion m3 to Turkey. So we can talk about a longer term.

Until 2014, Azerbaijan regularly supplied to Russia more than 1.4 billion m3 of gas, but in 2014 the shipments fell nearly 7 times - to 210 million m3.

Last time Gazprom and SOCAR signed an agreement of purchase and sale of Azerbaijani gas in 2009, although the Russians did it without much zeal. But now the story returns. Until 2007, Azerbaijan imported from Russia 4.5 billion m3 annually. "Our Azerbaijani colleagues approached us with the request as soon as possible to begin the deliveries of Russian gas to Azerbaijan," said the head of Gazprom Alexey Miller at the end of June.

Moscow is satisfied with this, as it provides the gas industry with another solvent and promising market in the long term. -0-