Türkiye and Azerbaijan are advancing plans for a major new energy corridor that would transmit green electricity from the Caspian region to Europe, Türkiye’s Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has told AnewZ in an exclusive interview.
Bayraktar said the initiative, described as a “power version” of the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), is being driven at the highest political level, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President Ilham Aliyev pushing for rapid progress.
“Already we started to work on this and especially President Erdogan and President Aliyev gave us a very clear instruction on that, to work immediately on this project,” he said.
According to Bayraktar, an intergovernmental agreement between Türkiye, Azerbaijan and potentially other regional partners could be reached soon.
“Maybe in the near future, within this year, we might see some intergovernmental agreement between Turkey, Azerbaijan and hopefully the other neighbours will join us,” he added.
The proposed project would mirror the role of TANAP, which transports natural gas from the Caspian Sea to Europe via Türkiye. However, the new initiative would focus on electricity, particularly renewable energy.
“And through that, we are going to be able to create a power version of Trans-Anatolian Pipeline, the gas projects,” Bayraktar said.
“In that project, also, we are going to bring green electricity from Azerbaijan to Turkey and through Turkey to European markets.”
The plan reflects a broader shift towards cleaner energy sources as Europe seeks to diversify its energy supply and increase imports of renewable power.
Bayraktar emphasised that the proposed power line is just one element of an expanding energy partnership between Türkiye and Azerbaijan.
“This is one of them, obviously, but last few months, actually, we developed so many projects together,” he said.
Among the recent developments is the launch of the Nakhchivan–Türkiye gas interconnection, which allows gas to be supplied to Azerbaijan’s exclave through Türkiye.
“We brought gas to Nakhchivan through Turkey. This was one of them,” he noted.
Energy cooperation is also extending beyond bilateral ties, with new infrastructure connecting multiple countries across the region.
“And on the gas side, we have now interconnection between Turkey and Syria,” Bayraktar said, adding that Azerbaijani gas is being delivered to Syria through swap arrangements via Türkiye.
The minister said further projects are under discussion, including upstream oil and gas developments in the Caspian Sea, as well as additional electricity initiatives.
“But also, we are in talks with developing additional projects from upstream, oil and gas projects … but also some power projects as well,” he said.
The growing network of energy links highlights Türkiye’s ambition to position itself as a key transit hub between Asia and Europe. For Azerbaijan, it reinforces its role as a major supplier of both natural gas and, increasingly, renewable energy.
If realised, the proposed Trans-Anatolian Power Line could become a central component of Europe’s energy diversification strategy, complementing existing gas corridors and helping accelerate the transition to cleaner energy sources.
For now, the project remains in the planning stage. However, Bayraktar’s comments suggest momentum is building, with strong political backing, expanding regional partnerships and a clear strategic vision shaping what could become one of the region’s most significant energy initiatives.
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