The costs of the European Union (EU) countries for the purchase of gas from Azerbaijan through the Trans-Adriatic gas pipeline (TAP) in the first quarter of 2022 were estimated at 2.1 billion euros. Such data are given in the quarterly report of the European Commission (EC) on the situation in the European gas market, Interfax reports.

In total, in the first months of 2022, the EU spent about 78 billion euros on gas imports, of which 26.5 billion euros came from gas from Russia, 19.2 billion euros from Norway, 5.4 billion euros from Northern Africa (Algeria and Libya), 2.1 billion euros - under TAP. In the form of LNG, the EU imported gas in the first quarter of 2022 in the amount of about 33 billion euros.

The EC noted an increase in supplies from Azerbaijan over the year: approximately 24 TWh in the first quarter of 2022 against 10 TWh in the same period last year.

According to the report, in the first quarter of this year, the share of gas supplies via TAP amounted to 2.5% of total supplies against 1.2% a year earlier.

TAP provides access to Azerbaijani gas resources through the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC), which is an important result of the EU's gas supply security policy, the EC noted.

The study notes the competitiveness of Azerbaijani gas, which the authors of the report associated with long-term contracts, the gas price for which is lower than spot prices.

Azerbaijani gas supplies via the TAP gas pipeline to consumers in Italy, Greece and Bulgaria began on December 31, 2020.

In 2021, Azerbaijan exported 8.2 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe, in the first quarter of 2022 - 2.6 billion cubic meters of gas. In 2022, gas exports to Europe are forecast to exceed 10 billion cubic meters.

The total length of TAP is 878 km, of which 550 km passes through the northern part of Greece, 215 km through the territory of Albania, 105 km through the Adriatic Sea and 8 km through the territory of Italy. TAP is the last component of the SGC project - infrastructure for the supply of Azerbaijani gas to Europe.

The gas pipeline is designed to transport 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year from the Shah Deniz field as part of Stage 2 of its development to Europe. The throughput capacity of the gas pipeline makes it possible to double its capacity - up to 20 billion cubic meters per year.

Project co-owners: SOCAR (20%), BP (20%), Snam (20%), Fluxys (19%), Enagas (16%) and Axpo (5%). The cost of the project is 4.5 billion euros. The groundbreaking for TAP took place on 17 May 2016 in Greece.