Foreign

Home page

Foreign

Ambassador James Sharp: We believe UK-Azerbaijan-BP partnership will remain key for the next 25 years

04 February 2021 16:37 (UTC +04:00)

"BP already operate the huge ACG oil field and Shah Deniz gas field, and of course the Southern Gas Corridor has just been completed. I would just mention here the amazing achievement of keeping oil and gas production flowing during the pandemic – it’s been really complicated, with all the safety measures BP have had to take, and they’ve performed really well," Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to Azerbaijan James Sharp said in an interview to APA.

According to Mr. Ambassador BP has a number of new concessions, where they are doing exploratory drilling or studying seismic data. "So they’re very much committed to the long term here in Azerbaijan. But you’ll be aware that BP has committed to net zero emissions by 2050, so they will want to explore how their operations here contribute to that target. Renewables is a key goal for them. And, they are looking for renewable opportunities here, In Azerbaijan including in the liberated territories, for example. And given the UK’s climate leadership, it seems to me that UK-Azerbaijan-BP has been a great partnership in the oil and gas sector for the past 25 years, and we believe the same partnership will remain key for the next 25 years as we all shift towards renewable energy."

"It shows disputes in the Caspian can be resolved peacefully. It suggests that Turkmenistan is more open to cooperation. And perhaps it provides a pointer to the future and the idea of a Trans Caspian gas pipeline, which would be good for Azerbaijan and good for European energy security. I don’t know if BP will be involved, though they do have a strong international partnership with SOCAR. In any case, there are many UK firms here in Baku providing all the services that will be needed – design, rig building, drilling, maintenance for example – so I’m sure they will be able to contribute to the development of this new field," said Mr. Ambassador.