BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. Deliveries of
Azerbaijani natural gas to private and industrial consumers in
North Macedonia began on December 1, an informed source told
Trend.
“The supplies were made possible thanks to productive
cooperation between the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR),
M-Gaz and CNG Systems,” the source said.
According to the source, the initiative represents a pilot
expansion of a virtual gasification project that has been
implemented in Bulgaria since 2024.
The project, carried out in partnership with SOCAR, M-Gaz and
CNG Systems, started with deliveries of compressed natural gas
(CNG) to industrial and private consumers not connected to a gas
pipeline or distribution network. SOCAR, through M-Gaz, provides
the required volumes of natural gas to CNG Systems, which then
supplies industrial and private customers in Strumica. A gas
distribution network has been built in the city and is supplied
with compressed natural gas.
Thanks to the partnership, Azerbaijani natural gas now provides
heating and hot water to six kindergartens, eight schools, one
hospital, several municipal administrative buildings in Strumica,
more than 400 households, and several industrial consumers.
The number of countries purchasing Azerbaijani gas has reached
14. Azerbaijan supplies natural gas to Europe via the
Trans-Adriatic Pipeline, the final leg of the Southern Gas
Corridor. The pipeline currently has a capacity of 10 billion cubic
meters per year, with the potential to expand to 20 billion cubic
meters. Following TAP’s 2021 Market Test, the pipeline’s long-term
capacity will be expanded by 1.2 bcm/a from 2026. Of this, 1.04
bcm/a has been booked for delivery to Italy and 0.16 bcm/a for
Albania.
