Turkiye is set to begin exporting natural gas to Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan this week, marking a milestone in regional energy cooperation. The announcement came from Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, who confirmed that the Igdır-Nakhchivan pipeline is now complete, reports Daily Sabah.
The pipeline, running from Turkiye’s easternmost province of Iğdır to Sederek in western Azerbaijan, has an annual capacity of 500 million cubic meters. It is expected to bolster Nakhchivan’s energy security by providing a stable supply of natural gas through Turkiye. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev attended the foundation-laying ceremony in late 2023.
Bayraktar also highlighted Turkiye’s efforts to expand natural gas exports, with Nakhchivan joining Bulgaria and Greece as key destinations. Speaking to Anadolu Agency, he discussed energy cooperation with Russia, including Turkiye’s role as a gas trade hub and Russia’s interest in the Sinop nuclear power plant project. He reiterated that the priority remains the completion of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant’s first reactor.
Turkiye’s growing role in regional energy supply includes handling Turkmen gas via swaps through Iran, a move Bayraktar described as crucial for supply security and cost reduction. He noted that a long-term pipeline solution via the Caspian Sea would be the most effective way to transport Turkmen gas to Turkiye and Europe.
Turning to oil exports, Bayraktar addressed the stalled Turkiye-Iraq pipeline, which has been idle since March 2023 due to an arbitration ruling. Turkiye has been ready to restart operations for nearly 1.5 years, but oil companies in Iraq’s Kurdistan region have yet to resume shipments, despite recent approvals from Baghdad.
Turkiye also envisions a larger energy role in the region through the Development Road project with Iraq, which includes a pipeline reaching the Persian Gulf. Bayraktar emphasized that Turkiye’s infrastructure investments place it at the center of regional energy security, with ongoing projects to expand its connections with neighboring countries.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
