Turkey pushing against rivals for transmission of green electricity to EU

Turkey’s agreement with Azerbaijan, Georgia and Bulgaria on the transmission of renewable electricity could set back the project for an interconnector under the Black Sea between Georgia and Romania. In addition, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government fiercely opposes the Great Sea Interconnector project, part of the proposed Greece-Cyprus-Israel submarine link. Turkey is also pushing against rival hydrocarbon projects around Cyprus.

On the margins of the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) annual meeting, a regional green energy project has come to the fore. Ministers of energy of Turkey, Bulgaria, Georgia and Azerbaijan, the host country, signed a memorandum of understanding on green electricity transmission and trade. The initiative envisages the establishment of a green energy corridor toward Europe.

The proposal for a power interconnections upgrade is an apparent competitor against a project by Romania, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Hungary. They plan to lay a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cable under the Black Sea. Bulgaria does have a seat at the table, but even after several meetings it still hasn’t become a partner in the GECO submarine link project.

The alternative onshore line through Turkey would give it a central role. There was also an earlier proposal for an electricity corridor from Turkey through Bugaria, Greece, North Macedonia and Albania, to reach Montenegro, which is connected with Italy by an undersea cable.

Bulgaria, which has been waiting to become a partner in the Black Sea submarine interconnection project, would get a central role in an onshore power transmission corridor that would go through Turkey

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government is determined to establish the key transmission and production hub for electricity and fossil fuels for the European Union. The new memorandum is another indicator, together with Turkey’s fierce opposition to the Great Sea Interconnector project, which is part of a proposed Greece-Cyprus-Israel submarine power link, and to hydrocarbon drilling around Cyprus.

Turkey also benefits from the TurkStream pipeline, which carries gas from Russia. It was built instead of the abandoned South Stream project, which was supposed to directly connect Russia and Bulgaria.

Studies to be commissioned by June

Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar said electricity from Azerbaijan and the region would reach his country via Georgia as well as Azerbaijan’s exclave of Nakhchivan. It means a line would go through Armenia.

The four energy ministers said a working group would complete the technical details and commission feasibility studies already by June.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said his country would add 6.5 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030, compared to the current 8 GW, from all sources. One of the biggest private investors is Abu Dhabi Future Energy Co. (Masdar).

TANAP’s capacity to be doubled

Turkey is diversifying its energy supply, Bayraktar noted. “Our natural gas imports from Turkmenistan, which started on March 1, are an important step towards the goal of securing our own supply while also carrying Central Asian energy to European markets,” he stated.

The minister highlighted the goal to increase the capacity of the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), part of the Southern Gas Corridor, to 31 billion cubic meters per year from 16 billion.

Tensions rising as seabed survey for Great Sea Interconnector to resume

The NG Worker vessel is returning to carry out seabed surveys east of Greece’s Kasos-Karpathos island area, Energypress reported. The activity, part of the Great Sea Interconnector, was interrupted again in February after a Turkish corvette approached the ships NG Worker and Ievoli Relume.

After research was completed in the territorial waters of Greece and Cyprus, the last section is in international waters. Türkiye Gazetesi learned from security sources that Turkey wouldn’t allow “such a fait accompli.” The unnamed sources said the seabed survey is a breach of international law.

The power link project has also faced delays due to disputes around financing and it still risks losing a massive EU funding package. Turkey is promoting the idea of a cable connecting Cyprus to its own electricity transmission network instead.