SOCAR: ‘Our customers are behind a glass wall’
EXCLUSIVE: Deputy VP Vitaliy Baylarbayov talks TTF, hydrogen, gas transit tariffs, and more...
Vitaliy Baylarbayov, deputy vice president of State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), spoke to Seb Kennedy, founding editor of Energy Flux, about the prospects for expanding Azerbaijan’s gas exports to Europe.
In this wide-ranging interview, Mr. Baylarbayov – who also sits on the Executive Committee of the International Gas Union – discusses the ‘glass wall’ of policy and finance restrictions that he perceives standing between SOCAR and its European gas customers.
The discussion also explores:
- the outlook for hydrogen as an alternative export vector;
- the commercial impediments to Azerbaijan’s ability to access the Vertical Gas Corridor;
- the possible expansion of the Southern Gas Corridor, including the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline;
- SOCAR’s approach to negotiating new gas supply deals on the eve of a global glut of LNG;
- how the company views speculative market pricing on TTF and other European gas hubs.
Vitaliy Baylarbayov – CV
Mr. Baylarbayov brings over 30 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. He led negotiations and managed major projects including the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli oilfields, Shah Deniz gas-condensate field, and the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. He played a key role in the development of the Southern Gas Corridor, contributing to the expansion of the South Caucasus Pipeline through TANAP and TAP
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