Hon. Charles Hendry MP, speaking at the British Business Group meeting
Charles Hendry, British Minister for Energy and Climate Change met with President Ilham Aliyev and Energy and Industry Minister Natig Aliyev in Baku at the end of September to discuss further co-operation between the two countries.
The UK Minister and Natig Aliyev met to discuss a draft agreement on long-term exploration and development of the Shafag-Asiman gas field and the proposed construction of a new oil and gas refinery and chemical complex.
Other topics under discussion included the potential for cooperation on alternative and renewable energy initiatives. Natig Aliyev said that Azerbaijan had already launched a project to produce 5.5 mega-watts of power from renewables. The British Minister went on to say that the UK took alternative energy seriously and has a target to produce 15% of all energy used in the country using these techniques by 2020. He hoped that co-operation in this field based on British technology would be possible in the future.
Speaking at the British Business Group meeting on the 28th September the Minister said, “we aim to help the British business community open doors in Azerbaijan and support you to win contracts around the world. There has been incredible change in the past three years and Britain has been at the heart of this process. The message we have received from the government is a desire for real partnership”.
The meeting of some seventy key members of the British business community was held at the Hyatt hotel and marked the 15th anniversary of the organisation set up in 1996 by the late Robin Bennett OBE.
The speech by the Minister was followed by a question and answer session facilitated by BBG Chairman John Patterson. Questions from the floor covered many topics including issues arising from the cultural legacy of the former Soviet Union. In response, the Minister replied that these required ongoing multilateral co-operation and support, if they were to be addressed affectively.
When asked about his attitude towards future gas supplies to Europe, the Minister replied that “we need the gas pipeline infrastructure in place as soon as possible. Consumer demands are the most important”.
Route of the proposed Nabucco gas pipeline
Asked about the importance of shale gas, he said “it is a world but not a UK game-changer. The gas is under some of the most expensive real-estate in the country”. He continued that there has been a change in attitude towards the role gas is likely to play in the energy chain. It was previously thought that this would decline dramatically however he felt that in the future it will “drop only slightly”.
Returning to the importance of the relationship between Britain and Azerbaijan, the Minister noted that President Aliyev had changed his flight arrangements to Poland to ensure he would be able to meet with him. This he took as a positive sign of the ongoing friendliness between the two countries and evidence of willingness to work together in the future.
The minister was warmly thanked for his attendance and contribution by John Patterson on behalf of the British Business Group.
