Turkey and Azerbaijan announced plans on Monday to develop a major electricity transmission corridor linking Azerbaijan with Southeast Europe. Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar unveiled the initiative at the Baku Energy Week, drawing a direct parallel to the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP). "We are going to create the electricity version of TANAP," he said, referring to the 1,850-kilometer pipeline that first brought Azeri gas to European markets via Turkish territory.
Energy connectivity between the Caspian region and Europe currently relies heavily on fossil fuels. The proposed power line would reroute surplus electricity from Azerbaijan’s growing renewables capacity—particularly wind and solar projects in the Caspian and Nakhchivan—across Turkey into the Balkan grid. It could also relieve bottlenecked interconnections in eastern Turkey and the Caucasus.
No specific route, capacity, or cost figures were provided during the announcement. However, such a project would require significant investment in high-voltage direct current transmission and cross-border regulatory alignment. Minister Bayraktar emphasized the initiative would strengthen the role of Turkey as a hub, mirroring the logistical and political success of TANAP.
The corridor would complement efforts to decarbonize Southeast European power markets and reduce Russian energy dominance in the region. It also fits Ankara’s broader ambition to become a key trader of electricity between Asia and Europe, building on existing gas transit agreements with Baku.
The plan faces considerable hurdles. Financing for large-scale cross-border electricity infrastructure in the region has historically stalled. Azerbaijan’s current export volumes to Turkey and Europe remain relatively modest compared to domestic demand, and the technical feasibility of a dedicated corridor through mountainous terrain has not been publicly assessed.