Azerbaijan's state energy company, SOCAR, has commenced the delivery of Azeri natural gas to Germany and Austria, marking a significant milestone in Europe's efforts to phase out Russian gas by 2027. This achievement is part of a broader strategy to diversify Europe's energy sources and reduce reliance on Russian supplies, which have been disrupted since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
SOCAR is selling substantial volumes of gas through the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), the European segment of the Southern Gas Corridor, to markets in Southern and Central Europe. The gas supply to Austria and Germany is facilitated by connections to TAP in Italy, further extending the geographical reach of Azerbaijani gas in Europe.
As of January 2026, Azerbaijan's gas is being supplied to buyers in Austria and Germany, as announced by SOCAR on Friday. This expansion brings the total number of countries where Azerbaijan sells gas to 16.
The Southern Gas Corridor from Azerbaijan has long been seen as an alternative to Russian gas supply to Europe, which has significantly decreased since the 2022 invasion. The TAP pipeline, a 545-mile segment of the Southern Gas Corridor, took over $30 billion and seven years to construct. It starts near the Evros area of Kipoi at the Greek-Turkish border and connects to the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) that traverses Turkey.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine led to the cutoff of gas supplies to many EU customers, and the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines in September 2022 further disrupted gas supply to Germany. Germany, Europe's largest economy and previously the top buyer of Russian gas, has shifted to LNG supply and established regasification and floating import terminals to receive cargoes.
The EU recently agreed to permanently halt the import of Russian gas, with a phase-out of LNG imports by December 31, 2026, and pipeline gas by September 30, 2027. This agreement is a significant step towards achieving Europe's energy independence and security.
