The Italian government is carefully examining the potential expansion of the Southern Gas Corridor.
This was stated by Edmondo Cirielli, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy, in an exclusive interview with Trend during the 6th meeting of the Italy-Azerbaijan Intergovernmental Commission in Baku.
The deputy minister emphasized that the Southern Gas Corridor is a strategically important infrastructure project for both Italy and the entire European Union.
“Especially after Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, Azerbaijani gas supplies have played a key role in ensuring Europe’s energy security and reducing dependence on Russian gas. Since the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) was commissioned in 2020, more than 40 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas have been delivered to Italy. This has made Azerbaijan our country’s second main gas supplier,” Cirielli noted.
He added that, taking into account the positive results achieved and market potential, the Italian government is seriously considering the expansion of the Southern Gas Corridor with the active participation of international financial institutions and based on market assessments.
It should be recalled that TAP, one of the key segments of the Southern Gas Corridor, delivers natural gas extracted from the Shah Deniz field directly to European markets. Over the past five years, more than 54 billion cubic meters of gas have been transported to Europe via TAP. As of January 1, 2026, under the new Gas Transportation Agreement (GTA), TAP has begun providing additional long-term transportation capacity.
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