BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 6. VNG AG intends to
increase the volume of gas imports from Azerbaijan, the Senior Vice
President, Head of Corporate Development, and Head of the VNG AG
Representative Office, Oliver F. Hill, said at the
German-Azerbaijani Strategic Partnership and Connectivity
Conference, Trend's
correspondent reports from the event.
According to him, VNG AG and SOCAR entered into a long-term
partnership a few days ago, which provides for cooperation both in
the supply of natural gas to Europe and in the area of the energy
transition.
“The partnership includes both short-term and long-term
components. The short-term component involves ensuring energy
supplies to Europe, specifically natural gas. The long-term
component, of course, involves transforming the energy sector from
today’s fossil fuels to a decarbonized world,” he said.
Hill noted that the company has been importing gas from
Azerbaijan since the beginning of this year.
“These are relatively small volumes at the initial stage; this
is the first step. We would like to increase them; that is one of
our goals, and it is also one of the components of our
cooperation,” he added.
According to him, in the long term, the parties also intend to
advance the energy transition between Europe and Azerbaijan.
“This means connectivity in terms of long-term decarbonization,”
Hill explained.
He also noted that the company is open to securing long-term
supplies for Azerbaijan for a period of 15 to 20 years.
"Our idea is that, perhaps, Azerbaijan could invest more in
renewable energy sources for its own needs, thereby freeing up
natural gas for export to Europe, generating revenue from this, and
then having the means to invest in infrastructure in Azerbaijan, as
well as, in the long term, expanding supplies to Europe, for
example, hydrogen or biomethane,” Hill said.
Meanwhile, the German-Azerbaijani Strategic Partnership and
Connections Conference, organized by the German-Azerbaijan Chamber
of Foreign Trade (AHK Azerbaijan), is being held in Baku.
Representatives of German and Azerbaijani state institutions,
business circles, international financial institutions, and other
organizations are participating in the event.
The conference is dedicated to the theme "Mobilizing financial
resources for infrastructure, transport, logistics, green energy
and digitalization along the Middle Corridor".
The agenda includes panel discussions and B2G roundtables on the
development of the Middle Corridor, attracting investment, green
energy, public-private partnerships, digital transformation, and
cybersecurity. The conference aims to expand German-Azerbaijani
economic cooperation, discuss investment opportunities along the
Middle Corridor, and form new partnerships in the fields of
infrastructure, energy, transport, logistics, and
digitalization.
