Türkiye, Azerbaijan seek deeper cooperation, says energy minister

BAKU

DHA Photo

Türkiye and Azerbaijan are advancing major electricity projects, Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has stated, highlighting plans to expand regional energy connectivity while supporting Europe’s energy security.

Speaking after attending the 5th Türkiye-Azerbaijan Energy Forum in Baku last week, Bayraktar said the world has become a place of recurring crises and that crises are now the “new normal.” He said Türkiye and Azerbaijan are responding by developing more predictable, diversified and deeper cooperation in the energy sector.

Bayraktar recalled landmark projects including the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum Natural Gas Pipeline, the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) and the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP).

“TANAP has delivered 100 billion cubic meters of natural gas as of this year,” he said, adding that the pipeline makes a significant contribution to Europe’s energy supply security.

The minister said existing projects such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum pipeline, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline and TANAP should be utilized at full capacity.

According to Bayraktar, around 600,000 barrels of oil currently flow through the BTC pipeline, while its capacity stands at 1 million barrels per day.

He said the route should also be used to transport crude oil from Central Asia and other parts of the Turkic world, adding that similar efforts could be undertaken in the natural gas sector.

Bayraktar said major electricity projects are currently under discussion.

“We are discussing three main projects,” he said. “These include a power transmission line from Nakhchivan to Türkiye, the four-party green energy corridor connecting Türkiye, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Bulgaria, and another electricity transmission line that will reach Europe via the Black Sea.”

He said the projects would further strengthen regional energy cooperation and connectivity across the wider region.