Switzerland hopes to get Azerbaijani gas in case of energy crisis
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 9. Switzerland must reduce consumption of Russian gas in the event of supply disruptions to Europe, said Thomas Hegglin from the Association of the Swiss Gas Industry (VSG) Trend reports, citing the finance agency AWP.
Nevertheless, according to Hegglin, the country will have an advantage over other countries thanks to gas supplies from Azerbaijan and North Africa.
“We have to be prepared for that. The shortage of Russian gas supplies cannot be fully offset within Europe, at least in the short term, without reducing consumption,” he said. “But even in this scenario, Switzerland will have an advantage because it can continue to get gas from the south – from North Africa via Italy and from Azerbaijan.”
In the event of bottlenecks in Switzerland, the federal government will take management measures, emphasized the VSG expert.
“The measures include switching to heating oil for dual-fuel consumers (where heating oil can be replaced by natural gas), savings requirements and limitation requirements for large consumers. However, the Swiss gas supply is now largely secured. There should be.” enough gas for his industry, although prices are at an extraordinarily high level,” Hegglin continued.
“However, securing the gas supply in the coming winter could be a major challenge. That is why the Federal Council decided on the measures at the beginning of March. So it can be expected that gas companies can start with joint gas purchases, storage capacity and liquefied natural gas (LNG),” he added.
Solutions for next winter
According to Hegglin, the VSG wants to propose a possible solution to the Federal Council together with the responsible departments and authorities.
The EU wants to reduce imports of Russian gas by two thirds compared to the previous year by the end of the year. More than 40 percent of the imported gas comes from Russia: Germany in particular is dependent on Russian imports. In comparison, gas consumption in Switzerland is very low, accounting for about 15 percent of the country’s total energy needs.
Azerbaijani gas supplies to Europe via the Southern Gas Corridor started on December 31, 2020. For the first time in history, Azerbaijan exported its natural gas to the European market via pipelines. With direct access to the European market, the world’s largest importer of natural gas, Azerbaijan has diversified its export opportunities. TAP, the European part of the southern gas corridor, will supply eight billion cubic meters of gas to Italy and one billion cubic meters of gas to Greece and Bulgaria each year.
To date, Azerbaijan’s gas exports to Europe via TAP have reached 10.9 billion cubic meters.