BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 31. From June 1 to 3,
Baku will once again become one of the key venues for global energy
dialogue. Within the framework of Baku Energy Week 2026,
representatives of governments, international energy companies,
financial institutions, and the expert community will discuss
issues of energy security, the development of traditional and green
energy, investments, and regional connectivity.
The scale of the event once again confirms Azerbaijan's growing
role in the global energy architecture. This year, 274 companies
from 44 countries have confirmed their participation in Baku Energy
Week, and the forum's program provides not only for the signing of
new agreements but also for the first meeting of energy ministers
of the D-8 countries, as well as the first Azerbaijan-US Economic
Dialogue.
However, the significance of the upcoming meetings goes far
beyond a traditional sector-specific forum. In essence, Baku is
becoming a platform where not only today's energy is discussed, but
the agenda for future cooperation between Azerbaijan, Europe,
Central Asia, the Middle East, and other partners is shaped.
It is particularly telling that the current Baku Energy Week is
taking place just a few months after the Southern Gas Corridor
Advisory Council meeting held this March. At that time,
high-ranking representatives of the European Union, consumer
states, producers, and transit countries of energy resources also
gathered in Baku. The main outcome of those discussions was the
reaffirmation of the strategic importance of the energy partnership
between Azerbaijan and Europe.
While a few years ago cooperation was built primarily around oil
and gas supplies, today it is acquiring a more comprehensive
character. The European Union views Azerbaijan not only as a
reliable supplier of natural gas but also as one of its future
partners in the field of renewable energy, the transmission of
green electricity, and the development of new energy corridors.
This strengthening of Azerbaijan's position in the global energy
system is the result of a consistent and long-term energy strategy
pursued under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev. It is the
combination of a pragmatic resource policy and active
infrastructure development that has allowed the country to occupy a
stable niche as a reliable energy supplier while simultaneously
entering a trajectory of green energy transition.
At the same time, the gas component remains the foundation of
relations. Moreover, against the backdrop of the ongoing
transformation of the European energy market, its importance is not
decreasing, but rather intensifying.
Following the energy crisis of recent years, Europe is actively
diversifying its fuel supply sources. Geopolitical processes in the
Middle East remain an additional factor of uncertainty, impacting
global energy markets and logistics chains. Under these conditions,
Azerbaijan continues to strengthen its reputation as a reliable and
predictable supplier.
It is no coincidence that the need to expand the existing
infrastructure of the Southern Gas Corridor was discussed in Baku
in March. Existing capacities are already operating practically at
their limits, while the demand for Azerbaijani gas in Europe
continues to grow.
As the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, stated during the
Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council meeting in March this year,
Azerbaijan aims to expand its presence in the European energy
market.
"We have already started to supply two more countries in Europe
- Germany and Austria. Thus, today, 10 members of the EU receive
gas from Azerbaijan. In the coming years, with respect to the new
production of gas from Azerbaijani fields, we may increase the
output. But for that, definitely - and we spoke about that last
time - we need to think about the expansion of the existing gas
transportation infrastructure, because today the Southern Gas
Corridor is already fully packed. We are looking for other
extensions and interconnections in order to be able to supply as
much as the market needs and probably will need even more, taking
into account the current situation in the world, and in order to be
able to export as much as we can," the head of state said.
Statistics confirm the steady growth of cooperation. According
to the TAP AG consortium, during the first four months of 2026
alone, 3.72 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas were delivered
to Europe via the Trans Adriatic Pipeline. Out of this, more than 3
billion cubic meters went to Italy - the largest buyer of
Azerbaijani gas in Europe. Since the start of TAP's commercial
operations, total transportation volume has already exceeded 58
billion cubic meters.
In parallel, overall export indicators are also growing.
According to the State Statistical Committee, in January–March
2026, Azerbaijan exported 6.257 billion cubic meters of natural
gas, which is 6.1% higher than the figure for the same period last
year.
Meanwhile, the potential for further supply growth remains
significant. Production is expected to begin this year at the ACG
deepwater gas field, and a new phase of development at the Shah
Deniz field will kick off in 2028. According to Azerbaijani
estimates, the implementation of these projects will eventually
allow for an additional 10 to 15 billion cubic meters of gas
annually.
In fact, this concerns the creation of a resource base for a new
stage of energy cooperation with Europe. This is precisely why
European partners have increasingly spoken in recent years not just
about maintaining current supply volumes, but about expanding
them.
Characteristically, this position is openly confirmed in
Brussels as well. The European Commissioner for Energy and Housing,
Dan Jørgensen, emphasized in an interview with Trend that Azerbaijan’s contribution to European
energy diversification will only grow in importance.
According to him, the European Union views Azerbaijan as a
reliable and long-term partner, and energy cooperation between the
parties is of strategic importance amid the EU's total phase-out of
Russian gas imports.
At the same time, relations between Azerbaijan and Europe are
already expanding beyond exclusively gas topics. Cooperation in the
field of renewable energy is occupying an increasingly prominent
place on the bilateral agenda.
For the European Union, the energy transition is one of the key
development priorities. However, the transition itself is
impossible without stable sources of energy and reliable suppliers
of gas, which is viewed as a critical transition resource toward a
low-carbon economy. This is why for Europe, the gas and green
directions of cooperation with Azerbaijan do not contradict each
other, but are complementary elements of a unified strategy.
Azerbaijan is already demonstrating serious progress in
implementing renewable energy projects. In January this year, the
largest wind power plant in the region with a capacity of 240 MW,
implemented by ACWA Power, was commissioned. Earlier, a 230 MW
solar power plant built by Masdar began operations.
Concurrently, the implementation of new projects continues,
which should significantly increase the share of clean energy in
the national energy balance.
It is on this foundation that the next phase of the energy
partnership between Azerbaijan and Europe is taking shape - moving
from gas supplies toward the export of green electricity and the
development of trans-regional energy corridors.
The expansion of SOCAR's foreign presence serves as additional
confirmation of the growing international significance of
Azerbaijan's energy sector. The company recently opened a
representative office in Italy - the country that remains the
primary European market for Azerbaijani gas. Simultaneously, SOCAR
continues to strengthen its positions in Central Asia and is
preparing to open a representative office in Uzbekistan, reflecting
the company's growing role in forming new energy and transport
links across the space from the Caspian to Europe.
The country's transit potential remains equally important.
Azerbaijan already plays a key role in the transportation of oil
from Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to global markets. Amid the
growing interest in the Middle Corridor, the energy component of
transit cooperation is also taking on new meaning, turning the
country into one of the most vital hubs of the Eurasian energy
system.
Therefore, Baku Energy Week 2026 is not just another industry
forum. It reflects a broader process of strengthening Azerbaijan's
role in global energy. While natural gas remains the foundation of
cooperation with international partners today, ensuring energy
security and supply stability, large-scale projects in the field of
renewable energy, cross-border electricity transmission, and new
energy corridors are being added to this foundation for
tomorrow.
This is precisely the main trend of recent years: cooperation
with Azerbaijan in the energy sphere is simultaneously a
cooperation of the present and the future - where reliable gas
supplies ensure the stability of today, and the development of
green energy forms the bedrock of tomorrow's energy sector.
