Minister Bayraktar: Work continues on Türkiye-Azerbaijan electricity link

Minister Bayraktar announced at the 5th Azerbaijan-Türkiye Energy Forum in Baku that initial work on the planned electricity interconnection project via Nakhchivan had been completed.

Minister Bayraktar says work continues on Türkiye-Azerbaijan electricity link

Minister Bayraktar discussed energy cooperation between the two countries at the 5th Azerbaijan-Türkiye Energy Forum in Baku. Bayraktar said the relationship between Türkiye and Azerbaijan was not limited to ordinary neighborly or commercial ties, describing the forum as a platform where a shared future was being designed and a strategic vision was being turned into concrete projects.

Bayraktar said the energy partnership covered not only natural gas and oil but also mining, renewable energy, energy efficiency, electricity markets, and transmission and distribution. He said partnerships in hydrocarbon fields and pipelines enabling Azerbaijan’s energy resources to reach regional and global markets through Türkiye were important examples of this cooperation.

Feasibility studies continue for electricity interconnection

Bayraktar said the global energy sector was becoming increasingly centered on electricity and that, alongside energy production, the safe, sustainable, rapid and efficient delivery of generated electricity to consumers was gaining importance. He noted that strong, interconnected electricity systems supported security of supply and facilitated the integration of renewable energy into the system.

Bayraktar announced that the initial work under the Türkiye-Azerbaijan (Nakhchivan) Interconnection Project had been completed. He said the most feasible option had been identified following technical assessments by the relevant institutions, adding that the project would mature further technically once additional feasibility studies conducted by system operators were completed.

Bayraktar said a strong foundation had been established for moving the project to the implementation stage and that significant momentum had been achieved in electricity interconnections. He said they did not view interconnections merely as links between two electricity systems, but as areas of strategic cooperation bringing the countries’ energy systems closer together.

Goal of an intergovernmental agreement for a green electricity corridor

Bayraktar also described the Green Electricity Transmission and Trading Project, which brings together Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Bulgaria, as an important initiative at the regional level. Calling the project “the TANAP of electricity,” Bayraktar said it would form the basis for long-term regional energy cooperation based on mutual benefit.

Bayraktar said they wanted to move the project to the next stage as soon as possible. He announced that they aimed to reach a significant signing stage for the project during the period when COP31 will be held in Antalya and to advance the work through an intergovernmental agreement.

Bayraktar said Türkiye was one of the region’s major energy hubs thanks to its infrastructure and strategic location, adding that they were diversifying regional energy infrastructure through interconnections and new projects. He said these efforts contributed to the security of energy supply not only in Türkiye and Azerbaijan but particularly in Europe.

130 billion cubic meters of gas transported from Azerbaijan to Türkiye

Azerbaijan’s Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov said energy cooperation between the two countries had delivered significant results in recent years. Shahbazov said that, through oil and natural gas infrastructure from Azerbaijan to Türkiye and through Türkiye to international markets, 561 million tons of oil and 196 billion cubic meters of gas had been supplied to date. He announced that the volume of Azerbaijani gas transported to Türkiye had reached 130 billion cubic meters, 40 billion cubic meters of which had been supplied through TANAP.

Shahbazov said that during the first eight months of this year, 6.2 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas had been supplied to Türkiye, 7.5 billion cubic meters to European countries through Türkiye, and 1 billion cubic meters to Syria.

Shahbazov said an electricity interconnection was planned between Nakhchivan and Türkiye via the Zangezur corridor, adding that the project would be more than a new electricity line between the two countries. He said the interconnection could become an Central Asia-Azerbaijan-Türkiye energy bridge by linking the energy systems of the Turkic states on the two shores of the Caspian Sea.

2032 target for green energy corridors

Shahbazov said work was continuing on a techno-economic feasibility study and the creation of a joint venture for the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Türkiye-Bulgaria Green Energy Corridor. He said the Caspian-Black Sea-Europe Green Energy Corridor was planned to be brought into operation gradually from 2032, describing Türkiye’s participation in the project as a natural consequence of the energy partnership.

Shahbazov said the participation of Turkish companies in Azerbaijan’s green energy projects was increasing and that artificial intelligence and digitalization should become new priority areas of cooperation between the two countries in the energy transition. He added that Azerbaijan was ready to support Türkiye within the framework of COP31, drawing on its experience hosting COP29 in Baku.