Snam, one of the world’s leading energy infrastructure companies, and SOCAR, a State-owned energy company of the Republic of Azerbaijan operating in Azerbaijan and other countries, signed a cooperation agreement today to study the development of renewable gases and use of sustainable energy, with a view to their delivery through the Southern Gas Corridor including Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) in the future. Both companies own a 20% stake in TAP and SOCAR is a major shareholder of the other Southern Gas Corridor projects.
The agreement was signed today in Rome by the representatives of Snam and SOCAR, in the presence of Italy’s prime minister Giuseppe Conte and the president of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, during the Azerbaijani State visit to Italy.
The agreement between Snam and SOCAR involves collaboration in the areas relating to the energy transition and circular economy:
- researching and promoting the use of biogas and biomethane, including the potential creation of anaerobic digestion plants. The expertise of Snam’s subsidiary, IES Biogas, can be applied for the design and construction of these plants. Snam and SOCAR plan to evaluate potential co-investment opportunities in this regard;
- promoting sustainable mobility using compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG) and hydrogen (H2), through the development of new distribution stations, potentially involving Snam’s subsidiary, Cubogas. There is also the possibility of launching partnerships with car manufacturers and developing the retrofit market;
- studying the opportunities for developing hydrogen production and related infrastructure.
Marco Alverà, Snam’s CEO, said: “Through this project, Snam and SOCAR aim to contribute to the energy transition and circular economy in Azerbaijan, strengthening collaboration between our two countries. Furthermore, the development of biomethane and hydrogen could offer new opportunities for the delivery of renewable gases through the Southern Gas Corridor and the TAP pipeline, thereby improving environmental sustainability alongside security and flexibility of supply”.
Rovnag Abdullayev, SOCAR’s president, said: “SOCAR has been taking significant steps in its operations to minimize negative impact on the environment. The cooperation agreement signed today is an important step towards sustainability in the energy industry, aimed at development of a greener economy and to curb global warming, in order to sustain life and prosperity”.
About SOCAR
SOCAR is one of the leading international energy companies. In order to ensure the economic interests of the Azerbaijani people, SOCAR is a major operator and participant in a number of transnational projects across the country and abroad. The company is active in all the oil and gas industry value chains. Exploration of oil and gas fields, production, processing and transportation of oil, gas and gas condensate constitute the main part of the operations of SOCAR. SOCAR also exports natural gas, oil and petrochemical products to the country's market, as well as international markets. The company's goal is to become a vertical integrated international energy company with advanced experience in the field of effective operation, social and environmental responsibility. As an important EU energy supplier, SOCAR plays a special role in the sustainable economic development of Europe.
About Snam
Snam is Europe’s leading gas utility. It has been building and managing sustainable and technologically advanced infrastructure guaranteeing energy security for over 75 years. Snam operates in Italy and, through subsidiaries, in Albania (AGSCo), Austria (TAG and GCA), France (Teréga), Greece (DESFA) and the United Kingdom (Interconnector UK). It is one of the main shareholders of TAP (Trans Adriatic Pipeline) and is the company most involved in projects for the creation of the Energy Union.
Since 2001 Snam is a public company, listed in the FTSE MIB index of the Italian Stock Exchange.