ALMATY – Azerbaijan has increased its gas exports to Europe by 56% since 2021, Azerbaijani Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov said during the 12th Ministerial Meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council held in Baku on March 3, reported the Kazinform news agency.
Vice Minister of Energy Sanzhar Zharkeshov attended the 12th Ministerial Meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council and the 4th Ministerial Meeting of the Green Energy Advisory Council held in Baku on March 3. Photo credit: Ministry of Energy.
The event also included the 4th Ministerial Meeting of the Green Energy Advisory Council and brought together representatives from more than 27 countries and 49 international companies.
According to Shahbazov, the world is entering what he described as an “era of electricity,” but natural gas will remain a key pillar of energy security for decades to come.
Azerbaijan’s total gas exports reached 25.2 billion cubic meters in 2025, with more than half of the supply going to the European Union. The capacity of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline has recently been expanded by 1.2 billion cubic meters, and four new gas projects are expected to be launched in the coming years, including the first non-associated gas production from the Azeri–Chirag–Gunashli block.
New investment in the Southern Corridor
One of the key developments announced during the meeting was the entry of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) into the Southern Corridor’s capital structure. The move is expected to open new opportunities for increasing gas supplies to Europe.
Alongside gas development, Azerbaijan is expanding its renewable energy sector. Around 8 gigawatts of new capacity are planned for domestic consumption, exports and powering data centers.
Several regional green energy routes are also being promoted, including the Caspian–Black Sea–Europe corridor, the Azerbaijan–Türkiye–Europe route, as well as the Trans-Caspian and East–West green corridors.
Kazakhstan highlights strategic energy cooperation
Kazakhstan was represented at the meeting by Vice Minister of Energy Sanzhar Zharkeshov, who emphasized the strategic nature of energy cooperation between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.
The discussions also covered the future potential of the Southern Gas Corridor, demand from European offtakers and the utilization of the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline.
“Kazakhstan highly values its strategic partnership with Azerbaijan in the energy sector, where we see potential for developing new areas of cooperation,” Zharkeshov said.
He also highlighted the large-scale green energy generation and transmission project being implemented by Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. The initiative, agreed upon by the leaders of the three countries, aims to reduce emissions and attract green investment to strengthen regional energy stability.
