German companies' contracts with Azerbaijan's State Oil Company provide for supplies of 2 bcm of gas per year - German ambassador

BAKU. June 15 (Interfax) - German companies under long-term contracts with the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijani Republic (SOCAR) purchase around 2 billion cubic meters of gas annually, said German Ambassador to Azerbaijan Ralf Horlemann, who is completing his mission in the country.

"The gas that three German companies have contracted from SOCAR - about 2 billion cubic meters per year - plays an important role in stabilizing the European energy market," Horlemann was quoted as saying at a briefing by Azerbaijani media, without specifying the names of the companies.

These are long-term agreements concluded for a period of approximately ten years, he said.

"I expect that the supply volumes will continue after this period, and perhaps even increase. However, over the next ten years, I estimate their volume will be around 2 billion cubic meters per year," he said.

There are no direct supplies of Azerbaijani gas to Germany due to the lack of pipeline connection between the two countries, he said.

Supplies are carried out through swap operations on the European energy market, mainly through Italy, which the main part of Azerbaijani gas exported to the EU goes to, he said.

Horlemann emphasized that energy remains one of the key areas of trade and economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Germany. In addition to importing oil and gas from Azerbaijan, Germany exports machinery, equipment, electronics and automobiles to the country.

Azerbaijan has contracts to supply gas to 16 countries, 12 of them in Europe. The annual volume should gradually increase to 15 terawatt-hours (TWh), which is around 1.5 billion cubic meters, including long-term contracts with a fixed supply volume to Italy, Greece, and Bulgaria, and with Germany's Securing Energy for Europe GmbH (SEFE) for 10 years. Contracts without exact purchase volumes have been signed with the remaining countries.

Azerbaijan also exports gas to Turkey via the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) and South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP), and to Georgia via the SCP and Hajigabul-Gazakh pipeline. In addition, in August 2025, Azerbaijan began exporting gas to Syria.