Turkey, Azerbaijan plan new electricity corridor to Europe
Turkey and Azerbaijan have announced plans to establish a new electricity corridor aimed at strengthening energy connectivity between the Caspian region and Southeast Europe.
The proposal was announced by Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar during Baku Energy Week. The planned transmission network is being positioned as the electricity-sector equivalent of the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), which forms part of the Southern Gas Corridor transporting Azerbaijani natural gas to Europe through Turkey.
Bayraktar stated that the proposed corridor could eventually extend into Central Asia, expanding regional electricity trade and energy security.
Competing transmission routes
The proposed electricity network involves Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Bulgaria. The initiative appears to parallel an existing proposal by Romania, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Hungary to develop a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cable under the Black Sea.
In April 2025, the four countries signed a memorandum of understanding on green electricity transmission and trade to establish a green energy corridor toward Europe. Turkey’s separate initiative with Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Bulgaria indicates competing regional efforts to shape future electricity flows between the Caspian region and Europe.
Turkey’s grid investment
Bayraktar announced that Turkey is preparing a $30 billion investment programme to upgrade its electricity transmission and distribution system over the next decade.
The investment is intended to support rising domestic energy production and strengthen Turkey’s electricity interconnection capacity with Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Bulgaria.
Azerbaijan’s transmission plans
Earlier in 2026, Azerbaijan’s transmission system operator, AzerEnergy, began construction on sections of a transmission line that could eventually connect Azerbaijan with Europe through the TRIPP corridor and Turkey, according to Eurasianet.
AzerEnergy has also announced plans to construct a 230-km, 400 kV transmission line linking Nakhchivan and Turkey.
Once completed, the 400 kV line is expected to serve as a key transmission backbone for potential Central Asian electricity exports to Europe.
Separately, Azerbaijan continues to work with Georgia, Romania, and Hungary on the proposed trans-Black Sea electricity transmission project.
Gas corridor model
The planned electricity corridor builds on existing energy cooperation between Turkey and Azerbaijan, including the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline, the South Caucasus gas pipeline, and TANAP.
TANAP and the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which connect near the Greek-Turkish border at Evros, have supported Europe’s energy diversification by transporting Azerbaijani natural gas to European Union member states. Azerbaijan has increased gas production and exports as European demand for non-Russian gas has risen since 2022.
Presidential remarks
In a message delivered by Bayraktar at Baku Energy Week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said electricity interconnections between Turkey and Azerbaijan remain strategically important.
He referred to the proposed “Green Electricity Transmission and Trade” project involving Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Bulgaria, and also highlighted cooperation on the recently developed Iğdır-Nakhchivan gas pipeline.
The featured photograph is for representation only.
