Russian Gas Gets New Rival in Europe as Caspian Field Starts
- Azeri deliveries to Italy, Greece, Bulgaria began Thursday
- The shipments will help EU diversify supplies away from Russia
Photographer: Konstantinos Tsakalidis/Bloomberg
This article is for subscribers only.
Azerbaijan started commercial natural gas exports to Europe via the U.S.-backed Southern Gas Corridor, helping the region to diversify supplies away from Russia.
Gas pumped from the BP Plc-led Shah Deniz deposit in the Caspian Sea began flowing into Italy, Greece and Bulgaria on Thursday, BP and Azerbaijan’s state energy company Socar said in a joint statement. The European Union has worked for years to ease its dependence on Russia, which accounts for about a third of the region’s gas supplies.