Azerbaijan has increased its commercial gas production to 18.9bcm in 2015, up by 0.2b compared to 2014, aiming at expanding the shipment of the Caspian gas to Europe, Trend News Agency reported. The production rose from both the Shah Deniz gas condensate field and the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli block of fields, making up the vast majority of the country’s gas reserves, currently estimated at 35tcf.

Azerbaijan’s natural gas has been mostly destined for Turkey, but it was also shipped to Greece via Turkey’s pipeline. Under a new arrangement, the country is allowed to start exporting volumes to other countries in Europe directly, once the needed infrastructure is completed, Azer News wrote. While the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) will continue transporting natural gas through Turkey, the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) is designed to ship gas exports through an alternative route – via Greece and Albania – to Italy.