Azerbaijani oil and gas exports noticeably increased in January

Azerbaijan’s oil and gas exports increased significantly last January, supported by increased demand in Europe.

Many European countries are counting on Azerbaijan to meet part of their energy demand, to compensate for the lack of Russian supplies.

The European Union signed agreements, during the past year (2022), aimed at increasing the supply of Azerbaijani oil and gas to the countries of the old continent, especially in light of linkage lines that facilitate the transportation process between the two parties.

Azerbaijani gas exports

Data, seen by the specialized energy platform, showed that Azerbaijani gas exports to Europe increased by 12% during last January, compared to the same period in 2022.

Azerbaijani Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov said that 1 billion cubic meters of gas were exported to Europe, 0.9 billion cubic meters to Turkey and 0.3 billion cubic meters to Georgia.

The Azerbaijani official indicated that his country supplied Turkey with about 0.5 billion cubic meters of gas through the Tanab pipeline during this period.

Gas production in Azerbaijan

According to operational data for January 2023, Azerbaijan’s gas production amounted to about 4.2 billion cubic meters of natural gas over the past month.

The Ministry of Energy indicated that 1.1 billion cubic meters of gas were produced from Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli, 2.3 billion cubic meters from Shahdenis, and 0.8 billion cubic meters from SOCAR.

The data showed a slight increase in the volume of Azerbaijani gas production compared to the same period in 2022; Gas production grew by 4%, equivalent to 162 million cubic meters.

Since the start of operation of the “Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli” and “Shahdeniz” fields until February 1 of this year, 204.6 billion cubic meters of gas have been produced from “Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli” and about 185 billion cubic meters from “Shahdeniz”. .

During this period, nearly 130 billion cubic meters of gas produced from the Shahdeniz field were exported, the agency reported. AZERTAG.

Azerbaijani oil exports

Azerbaijani oil exports recorded about 2.1 million tons (15 million barrels) in January, out of 2.7 million tons (19.2 million barrels) of produced crude.

Azerbaijani oil exports are expected to decline in February, after the Turkish earthquake caused the suspension of supplies to the port of Ceyhan.

Oil exports from Azerbaijan to Turkey stopped for about a week, before resuming them, yesterday, Sunday, February 12, after the Turkish authorities were forced to close the port of Ceyhan, located in the eastern Mediterranean, which transports more than one million barrels per day of crude oil, most of it from Azerbaijan. And Iraq, Monday, February 6 (2023), to assess its safety standards after the two earthquakes.

Azerbaijani oil production declined last January, according to data obtained by the energy platform, quoting AZERTAC.

The Azerbaijani Ministry of Energy indicated that 1.6 million tons of oil were produced from the “Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli” field and 0.4 million tons (condensates) from “Shahdenis”.

Oil production at SOCAR (including condensate) amounted to 0.7 million tons, according to data reported by the Azerbaijani Ministry of Energy.

* A ton is equivalent to 7.1 barrels

It is indicated that more than 609.1 million tons of oil (including condensate) have been produced since the operation of the “Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli” and “Shahdenis” fields until February 1 of this year, as 568.5 million tons of oil were extracted from “Azeri” – Cirag-Gunesli” and 40.6 million tons of condensate from “Shahdenis”, of which more than 607 million tons were exported during the reporting period.

Oil processing in Azerbaijan reached 559 million tons in January, according to data seen by the specialized energy platform.

The largest thermal power station

On the other hand, today, Monday, February 13 (2023), Azerbaijan laid the foundation stone for the largest thermal power station in the country, with a capacity of 1280 megawatts.

In a speech delivered at the ceremony of laying the foundation stone for the largest thermal power station in the history of Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that a new era is beginning for the city of Menkavir as a center of electricity generation not only for Azerbaijan but for the entire Caucasus.

Aliyev noted that the new power plant is a next contribution to energy security in Azerbaijan, according to AZERTAC.

He explained that the new station will enhance the capabilities of Azerbaijani gas exports. As it is designed to use a smaller volume of fuel; This allows saving about 800 million cubic meters or one billion cubic meters of gas annually.

President Aliyev stressed that this is a further contribution to Europe’s energy security as well, since Europe’s space is in great need of Azerbaijani gas.