Azerbaijan's state oil company SOCAR and Slovakian SPP are prepared to cooperate on longer-term gas supplies, CEO of SPP, a state-owned energy supplier headquartered in Bratislava, Slovakia, Martin Huska said in an exclusive interview with Trend on the sidelines of the Baku Energy Week.
"The pilot short-term contract for the purchase of natural gas from SOCAR confirmed that both companies are prepared to cooperate also in the event of an agreement on longer-term natural gas supplies to Slovakia," he said.
SOCAR delivered natural gas to Slovakia’s SPP, the country’s largest state-owned energy supplier in throughout December 2024. Gas supplies, which began on December 1, 2024, were conducted under a short-term pilot agreement between SOCAR and SPP.
"Thanks to our continuous efforts to diversify supply sources, SPP currently has access to a portfolio of gas supplies from several major international gas suppliers through their global portfolios. However, we continue to further diversify our natural gas sources. We are in discussions with additional gas suppliers and producers regarding gas deliveries to Slovakia from the beginning of the implementation of the RepowerEU regulation in the fourth quarter of 2027. These discussions involve approximately thirty companies. The outcome of these negotiations will also shape the configuration of gas supplies for SPP from the fourth quarter of 2027 onwards," noted Huska.
The CEO pointed out that the most important factors the company considers in discussions with its partners are a competitive price for natural gas, sufficient and sustainable gas supply capacity, and, from a security of supply perspective, any risks associated with deliveries to Slovakia.
"The potential availability of gas from Azerbaijan should also be viewed within this context. Azerbaijani gas may be one of the solutions for us, and we are in regular contact with our colleagues at SOCAR. The question, however, remains within what timeframe this could become a reality. According to statements from Azerbaijani representatives, the country is currently working on increasing its gas production capacity and improving gas infrastructure in the region," he said.
As for new areas beyond gas supply, such as renewable energy projects, Huska noted that so far, the companies have only held preliminary discussions on these topics with representatives of SOCAR. "Our highest priority is to secure safe and competitively priced natural gas sources for our customers," he concluded.
