Regional states plan electric power exchange

A large-scale project on establishing a circular electric power exchange system between Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey, Georgia and Russia is under consideration. Turkmenistan is also seeking to join the initiative, Azerbaijani Minister of Energy and Industry Natig Aliyev has said.

“Creating the system will allow not only to exchange electricity but also to export it to Europe. Azerbaijan will thus gain access to the Turkish market,” he said after talks with Iranian Energy Minister Parviz Fattah in Baku on Tuesday.

Aliyev said Azerbaijan was currently implementing a project jointly with neighboring Iran to increase the bulk of daily electricity exchange to 700 MWt. Its completion will allow to supply 150 MWt to the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, and a total of 400 MWt to the entire Azerbaijani electric power system in winter.

The document on building a 500Vt electricity transmission line to exchange electric power between Azerbaijan and Georgia was signed at a meeting of Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Mikheil Saakashvili as well as Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Tbilisi in February 2007.

Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan earlier discussed laying a cable under the Caspian Sea for the purpose.*