Turkey is pursuing a TANAP-style electricity corridor with Azerbaijan as both countries broaden cooperation in power transmission and green energy, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar said Monday.
At Baku Energy Week, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Bulgaria, and several Southeast European countries are coordinating efforts to deepen regional energy integration.
"We are going to create the electricity version of TANAP," Bayraktar said, describing plans for a cross-border transmission network that would support electricity trade and deeper market integration.
The initiative expands cooperation between Turkey and Azerbaijan beyond oil and natural gas, with both countries increasingly focusing on electricity transmission and green energy projects.
Over the next decade, Ankara plans to invest about $30 billion to modernize its transmission and distribution infrastructure and accommodate additional renewable and nuclear power generation.
"Energy security today is no longer defined solely by access to resources," Bayraktar said, adding that stronger infrastructure, broader supply options, and closer regional ties are becoming increasingly critical.
Renewable sources now account for about 65% of Turkey's installed electricity capacity, placing the country among Europe's five largest renewable power markets and the 11th worldwide, Bayraktar said.
By the end of the year, annual production from the Sakarya gas field is expected to reach 7.5 billion cubic meters, while Turkey also aims to bring the first unit of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant online, Bayraktar said.