Baku: Construction of the Zangezur power line has commenced to link the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic with Azerbaijan's main electricity system and to establish the Azerbaijan-Turkey-Europe international energy corridor. Az?rEnerji OJSC informed APA-Economics about the project's inception.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, based on the President's directives, Az?rEnerji is constructing a double-circuit 330-kilovolt high-voltage transmission line. This line, with a capacity of 1,000 megawatts, extends 74 km from Jabrayil to Agbend, and concurrently, 105 km from Nakhchivan to the Ordubad border. The construction traverses along the Araz River and encompasses challenging mountainous and rocky terrains, presenting difficult relief and climatic conditions.

The next phase of the project includes building an additional transmission line spanning 44 km through the Zangezur corridor. This will connect to the lines being developed in the Agband and Ordubad directions. Additionally, a new 330 kV substation is set to be constructed in Nakhchivan city. For this purpose, 49 hectares of land have been allocated, and mobilization efforts are underway.

As part of the Azerbaijan-Turkey-Europe energy corridor project, another strategic phase is planned. This phase involves constructing a 400 kV transmission line from Nakhchivan to Turkey, covering 230 km. For the first time in Azerbaijan's history, a converter substation within the 400 kV voltage class will be built.

This project holds strategic significance for fully integrating the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic into Azerbaijan's unified energy system. It aims to eliminate the region's reliance on foreign countries for frequency regulation and create avenues to access European energy markets. The initiative is seen as one of the largest energy projects in Azerbaijan's history.