Turkey and Azerbaijan launch gas exports to Syria, announce new energy corridor plans
Turkey and Azerbaijan have launched natural gas exports to Syria, with initial flows of 1.2 billion cubic meters annually, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Monday. The gas, transported from the Shah Deniz field via Turkey, is being used to restart power plants and meet basic energy needs in conflict-affected areas. Erdoğan also announced plans for a new electricity transmission corridor linking Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Bulgaria, which he described as the "electricity version of TANAP."
Turkey and Azerbaijan launched natural gas exports to Syria last August, with initial flows of 1.2 billion cubic meters annually, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Monday. The gas is transported through Turkish territory from the Shah Deniz gas field in the Azeri Caspian Sea under a coordinated arrangement, and is used to restart power plants in Syria and support basic energy needs in conflict-affected areas.
Erdoğan made the remarks in a message to the Baku Energy Week conference, delivered by Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar during the event's opening session. The contributions of the supplies to Syria's development and regional security are "indisputable," Erdoğan said. Turkey supported opposition forces in Syria throughout the 13-year civil war that ended with the ousting of Bashar Assad in December 2024 and has become one of the new Syrian government's main allies.
Addressing the forum, Energy Minister Bayraktar said Turkey and Azerbaijan are expanding their energy partnership beyond oil and gas into electricity transmission and green energy corridors. "We are going to create the electricity version of TANAP," Bayraktar said. The proposed Green Electricity Transmission and Trade project links Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Bulgaria. Turkey is planning a $30 billion upgrade to its electricity transmission and distribution system over the next decade to accommodate higher renewable and nuclear energy output, and also plans to upgrade its electricity transmission connections with Georgia, Azerbaijan and Bulgaria to trade surplus energy.
Erdoğan highlighted the strategic importance of the Iğdır-Nakhchivan natural gas pipeline, which entered service last year and strengthened energy security in Azerbaijan's exclave. He said there are major opportunities to improve cooperation on exporting Turkmen gas via Azerbaijan and Turkey. Erdoğan added that the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline is being used increasingly to transport Kazakhstan's natural resources to Western markets.
Turkey will host the COP31 conference in the Mediterranean city of Antalya between Nov. 9-20, Erdoğan said, reinforcing its determination to be among the leading countries in global climate action.