Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev yesterday announced plans to increase the capacity of the country's natural gas pipeline to meet the growing demand in Europe.

According to Azernews, President Aliyev discussed the expansion during meetings with heads of leading German companies in Berlin.

"Due to the growing demand in Europe for natural gas from new sources, we are now planning to expand our pipeline capacity," Aliyev said.

"In particular, TANAP, which has a capacity of 16 bcm. We will expand up to 32, and TAP, which has a capacity of 10 bcm, will be expanded, we plan up to 20."

The president explained that the expansion was necessary to meet the increasing demand for natural gas in Europe orchestrated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February last year and Moscow's cutting off the gas supply to Europe.

President Aliyev also noted that the pipeline, which has a length of 3,500 kilometres and was commissioned on January 1, 2021, needs to be expanded to integrate the free pipeline system.

Azerbaijan has already started supplying electricity and natural gas to some countries in Europe, and the expanded pipeline capacity will enable the country to meet the growing demand for energy from the continent.

The proposed pipeline capacity expansion is expected to have significant economic benefits for Azerbaijan, as it will increase the country's natural gas exports to Europe and strengthen its position as a major energy supplier.