Azerbaijan’s State-owned energy company SOCAR signed an agreement with the Italian energy infrastructure group Snam, in order to study the development of renewable gases and the use of sustainable energy to deliver through the Southern Gas Corridor, including the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP).
“Through this project, Snam and SOCAR aim to contribute to the energy transition and the circular economy in Azerbaijan, strengthening the collaboration between our two countries,” said Marco Alverà, Snam’s CEO (pictured above).
The agreement envisions a cooperation in terms of researching and promoting the use of biogas and biomethane, including the potential creation of anaerobic digestion plants. It also promotes sustainable mobility using compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG) and hydrogen, through the development of new distribution stations. Finally, it aims to study the opportunities for developing hydrogen production and related infrastructure.
“The development of biomethane and hydrogen could offer new opportunities for the delivery of renewable gases through the Southern Gas Corridor and the TAP pipeline, thereby improving environmental sustainability alongside security and flexibility of supply,” underlined Mr Alverà.
“SOCAR has been taking significant steps in its operations to minimise the negative impact on the environment,” added Rovnag Abdullayev, SOCAR’s President (pictured above). “The cooperation agreement signed is an important step towards sustainability in the energy industry, aimed at the development of a greener economy and to curb global warming, in order to sustain life and prosperity”.
Both SOCAR and Snam own a 20 per cent stake in the TAP pipeline, with SOCAR being a major shareholder of the other Southern Gas Corridor projects.