Energy Ministers of Azerbaijan and Turkey Parviz Shahbazov and Alparslan Bayraktar signed the final protocol of the third Azerbaijani-Turkish energy forum in Nakhchivan on 29 September. The Ministry of Energy of Azerbaijan reports that in addition, “Azerenerji” OJSC and Turkish “TEIAS” signed a “Road Map” for 2023-2025 on the implementation of the project of creation of “Mutual Energy Connection of Turkey-Azerbaijan through Nakhchivan” (Interconnector, electricity). Within the framework of the event, the “State Agency for Renewable Energy Sources” under the Ministry of Energy of Azerbaijan and the Czech company “A-Z Czech Engineering” signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in order to explore opportunities for the implementation of projects in the field of renewable energy in Azerbaijan, including the construction of a solar power plant with a capacity of up to 500 MW in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, as well as power transmission lines for the export of electricity to Turkey. The State Agency for RES under the Ministry of Energy and “ACWA Power” signed a roadmap for the creation of a battery system for electricity storage due to the construction of an onshore wind farm with a capacity of 200 MW. The sides also touched upon issues of gas cooperation. Thus, Ankara expects to complete the construction of the Igdir-Nakhchivan gas pipeline in 2024, Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on 29 September. “After the implementation of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum pipeline projects, we have now laid the foundation of the Igdyr-Nakhchivan gas pipeline. God willing, we will complete this project in the shortest possible time, next year, and the residents of Nakhchivan will be able to receive gas from Turkey through this pipeline as early as next winter,” Bayraktar told reporters in Nakhchivan. The length of the 16-inch pipeline from Turkey’s Igdyr to the Sadarak region of Nakhchivan is 97.5 kilometres, including 17.5 kilometres of the Azerbaijani section and 80 kilometres of the Turkish section. It will be capable of delivering 2 million cubic metres of gas per day (730 million cubic metres per year). In fact, the Igdyr-Nakhchivan gas pipeline will fully cover the Nakhchivan autonomy’s natural gas needs, which are estimated at about 500 million cubic metres, and even have a surplus. If necessary, the capacity of the pipeline can be more than doubled. In Turkey, the pipeline will be an extension of the main gas pipeline from Eastern Anatolia to Igdyr. As part of the project in Turkey, one gas metering station is also planned to be built in Dilucu. Recall that the construction of the Azerbaijani section of the gas pipeline started in July 2023. It ought to be noted that the gas co-operation between Azerbaijan and Turkey has a long and successful history. Head of the Azerbaijani Energy Ministry Parviz Shahbazov said at the event that “Azerbaijan has exported 7.4 billion cubic metres of gas to Turkey since the beginning of 2023, and this figure will reach 10.2 billion cubic metres of gas (a fifth of Turkey’s needs) by the end of this year.” “So far, 24 billion cubic metres of gas has been delivered to Turkey via the TANAP pipeline (in operation since 2018),” the Minister added. Turkey has also received gas through the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum gas pipeline since 2007

Source: Turan News Agency