Advisor to the US Undersecretary of State for Energy Diplomacy Kurt Donnelly stressed the strategic importance of the Southern Gas Corridor.
"The transportation of hydrocarbons from the Caspian Sea to Western markets has been carried out for decades. I am glad that the US government and energy companies have played an important role in this ongoing effort. The Southern Gas Corridor is indeed a multidimensional and multilateral achievement in the energy sector. All the countries represented here today have played their role. Including there are numerous companies from all countries participating in the project," Donnelly said.
"European consumers in Italy, Greece, and Bulgaria are using Azerbaijan's natural gas for the first time this winter. We welcome the market trials for the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline, which are expected to start at a later stage in 2021, and sincerely wish to see results by the end of 2021," Donnelly said.
Uninterrupted gas supply to Europe will be ensured
Of course, all these statements regarding the international importance of the Southern Gas Corridor are the unanimous position of the Advisory Council. Let's pay attention to the comments of experts.
"Europe will receive extra gas that it needs via the Southern Gas Corridor and that will be important in the future as the population increases and the demands for more heating and electricity grow, not only for homes but for businesses also," US expert on Central Asia Bruce Pannier told Trend.
"Additionally, it gives Europe another source of gas," Pannier said. "That is always important when negotiating price with other suppliers or in cases when relations with one supplier become complicated, leading to reductions or suspension of supplies from that one supplier. It ensures Europe cannot be cut off from imports of gas."
The clear positive effects of the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) is increased security of supply and diversification of resource supplies, Cyril Widdershoven, a Middle East geopolitical specialist and energy analyst, a partner at Dutch risk consultancy VEROCY, and Global Head Strategy Risk at Berry Commodities told Trend.
"With an additional inlet for natural gas, non-Russian based, overall energy security inside of EU is increasing in theory. The main goals should be the provision of additional volumes of natural gas to markets not yet covered, especially South-East Europe, while adding to already large markets in South Europe," the expert said.
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