Executive Summary:
- On January 29, AzerEnerji began construction of the Zangezur Energy Corridor, which aims to integrate Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan Autonomous Region exclave into Azerbaijan’s national energy grid via the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), also known as the Zangezur Corridor.
- The energy corridor’s goal is to enhance Azerbaijan’s domestic energy security while positioning the country as a regional electricity hub linking Asia and Europe. The project centers on a double-circuit 330-kilovolt transmission line with roughly 1,000-megawatt capacity alongside a new substation in Nakhchivan.
- The Zangezur Energy Corridor represents both a practical solution to Nakhchivan’s long-standing isolation and a strategic investment in a future in which electricity flows—alongside data, goods, and capital—more firmly integrate the South Caucasus into the broader Eurasian and European economic space.
On January 29, construction formally commenced on a new high-voltage transmission system led by AzerEnerji. The project, known as the “Zangezur Energy Corridor,” will integrate Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic into Baku’s national power grid via the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), also known as the Zangezur Corridor. The project will also establish the technical foundations for a future Azerbaijan–Türkiye–Europe electricity corridor (Eurasianet, February 4). This initiative is one part of Baku’s push to strengthen its role in transregional electricity connectivity, which favors corridor development over isolated infrastructure investment. The launch of the Zangezur Energy Corridor positions Azerbaijan as a regional electricity hub linking Asia and Europe.
The core of this project is a double-circuit 330 kilovolt transmission line with a capacity of approximately 1,000 megawatts. The line is being developed in multiple segments to accommodate complex terrain and border-adjacent routing requirements. One segment extends roughly 74 kilometers (50 miles) from Jabrayil to Aghband along the Aras River, while a second, longer section of approximately 105 kilometers (105 miles) connects Nakhchivan to the Ordubad border area (Renewables, January 29). These segments will ultimately be linked by an additional 44-kilometer (27-mile) crossing through the Zangezur corridor via the TRIPP, forming a continuous high-capacity electricity connection between mainland Azerbaijan and its western exclave. In parallel with the new transmission line, preparations are underway for the construction of a new 330 kilovolt substation in Nakhchivan, for which 49 hectares of land have been allocated (Caliber, January 29).
The main objective of the Zangezur Energy Corridor is to enhance Azerbaijan’s domestic energy security. For decades, Nakhchivan has functioned as an electrically isolated exclave, reliant on external systems for frequency regulation and grid stability. Its full integration into Azerbaijan’s national power system will remove this vulnerability, ensuring secure and sovereign control over electricity supply while enabling more efficient generation dispatch, the process by which grid operators balance electricity supply with demand (Trend News Agency, January 29). The project extends beyond the scope of a national infrastructure upgrade, emerging as the eastern anchor of a wider international electricity corridor that could ultimately transmit power from Azerbaijan, and potentially from the Caspian basin and Central Asia, through Türkiye and onward to European markets (Azernews, January 30).
This outward-looking corridor strategy aligns with Azerbaijan’s accelerating transition to clean energy, which has gained momentum in recent years (see EDM, May 14, 2025). Baku increasingly positions renewable energy as a complement to the country’s hydrocarbon-based economy, with the government setting an official target to raise the share of renewables to approximately 30 percent of total electricity generation capacity by 2030, equivalent to more than four gigawatts (International Energy Agency, accessed February 8). Current plans encompass over two gigawatts of new solar and wind capacity under development or contract, alongside the modernization of existing hydropower facilities, which already account for roughly 1.3 gigawatts of installed capacity. Baku places particular emphasis on the Karabakh and East Zangezur regions, where combined solar and wind potential exceeds seven gigawatts, as well as on offshore wind resources in the Caspian Sea, estimated at more than 150 gigawatts (The Hague Research Institute, November 5, 2025). Supported by grid modernization, cross-border interconnection projects, and commitments under international climate frameworks, these investments aim to reduce domestic natural gas consumption, lower emissions, and facilitate Azerbaijan’s repositioning as a regional exporter of green electricity.
The Zangezur Energy Corridor is a critical enabler of Azerbaijan’s renewable energy export ambitions. This role is reinforced by the country’s parallel engagement in other large-scale electricity export initiatives, most notably the Black Sea Green Energy Corridor, launched in 2022. This project aims to connect Azerbaijan and Georgia with Romania via a four-gigawatt submarine electricity cable across the Black Sea, enabling the delivery of predominantly renewable electricity, primarily wind and solar, to European Union markets (Eurasianet, November 6, 2025). Beyond this, Azerbaijani planners have articulated ambitions to link the Black Sea corridor to renewable energy sources in Central Asia through a future Trans-Caspian power connection involving Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan (Euronews, July 15, 2025). Feasibility studies have been commissioned and preparatory steps initiated within the European Union’s Ten-Year Network Development Plan framework to assess the potential integration of Central Asian green electricity into European grids (Azerbaijani Ministry of Energy, November 5, 2025).
Future phases of the Zangezur energy project further reinforce this ambition. Planned developments include the construction of an approximately 230-kilometer (143-mile), 400-kilovolt transmission line linking Nakhchivan directly with Türkiye, alongside the deployment of advanced converter infrastructure designed to manage cross-border power flows between systems operating under differing technical standards (International Information Group, January 29). Such installations—potentially incorporating high-voltage direct current (HVDC) or advanced alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) technologies—would be essential for synchronizing or quasi-synchronizing the South Caucasus power system with Turkish and European networks.
Zangezur Energy Corridor’s launch coincides with public statements by Armenian officials acknowledging the potential for future energy system linkages with Azerbaijan under the framework of TRIPP. This signals a broader shift toward regional connectivity after decades of conflict (Report News Agency, January 21). Electricity infrastructure is increasingly perceived as a confidence-building instrument that can facilitate gradual political normalization through shared economic incentives.
Establishing an alternative east–west transmission route reinforces Azerbaijan’s position as a regional transit and balancing hub at a time when traditional energy corridors are increasingly exposed to geopolitical and logistical constraints (see EDM, July 23, 2025; EU Reporter, September 9, 2025). For Türkiye, deeper electrical interconnection strengthens its role as a strategic energy bridge between Asia and Europe, complementing its long-standing function in natural gas transit. For European markets, these corridors collectively offer the longer-term prospect of diversified electricity imports, enhanced grid resilience, and expanded access to renewable generation sources beyond the European Union’s eastern frontier.
The political environment of the South Caucasus remains fragile, and sustainable cross-border electricity trade will require legally binding transit agreements, regulatory harmonization, and sustained diplomatic engagement (AIR Center, February 4). From a technical standpoint, long-distance high-voltage transmission and system interconnection necessitate meticulous planning to safeguard grid stability, particularly as large-scale exports come online. Commercially, access to Turkish and European electricity markets will depend not only on the availability of physical infrastructure but also on competitive pricing structures, transmission tariffs, and the successful integration of market and regulatory frameworks.
The recent construction gives the Zangezur Energy Corridor a more tangible character within the broader TRIPP framework. By coupling domestic grid integration with outward-facing transmission capacity, the project simultaneously addresses long-standing internal vulnerabilities. It lays the groundwork for transregional power flows linking the Caspian basin, Türkiye, and European markets. Its strategic value is amplified by Azerbaijan’s expanding renewable energy portfolio and parallel investments in Black Sea and trans-Caspian export routes, which collectively signal an ambition to help shape a diversified, low-carbon east–west electricity architecture. The Zangezur Energy Corridor represents both a practical solution to Nakhchivan’s long-standing isolation and a strategic investment in a future in which electricity flows—alongside data, goods, and capital—more firmly integrate the South Caucasus into the broader Eurasian and European economic space.
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