Türkiye eyes energy bridge role with new Gulf electricity corridor

Türkiye eyes a central role in regional energy architecture with a new electricity corridor stretching to Saudi Arabia, according to a report on Wednesday.

The country is pursuing a new electricity corridor linking Saudi Arabia to Türkiye through Jordan and Syria, a project that could expand regional power trade, improve grid flexibility and strengthen Ankara’s role as an energy bridge between the Gulf, the Middle East and Europe.

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on Aug. 6 that talks with Saudi Arabia were continuing on the proposed large-scale transmission network.

The project could later be extended to Lebanon, given the country’s high electricity needs, Bayraktar said.

The proposed corridor is part of Türkiye’s broader effort to strengthen regional energy links and expand electricity trade with neighboring and nearby markets.

Türkiye’s growing energy cooperation with Syria could provide an important foundation for the project. Cooperation between the two countries has accelerated over the past two years, particularly in rebuilding electricity and natural gas infrastructure.

Bayraktar said Türkiye is pursuing joint projects with Syria in oil, natural gas, electricity and mining, and sees energy cooperation as an important tool for regional development and stability.

Türkiye has supplied electricity to parts of northern Syria since 2017. Ankara now plans to increase electricity exports through new transmission links.

Work is also underway to reactivate the Birecik-Aleppo electricity transmission line, which has a capacity of around 500 megawatts (MW).

Türkiye is also working to supply Syria with Azerbaijani natural gas through Kilis. The gas is expected to be used to generate electricity at a natural gas power plant in Aleppo.

Türkiye pivots for central role in regional power trade

Türkiye remains highly dependent on foreign sources for fossil fuels despite its strategic position in energy markets, but it has the potential to become a “transit country” connecting producer countries with consumer markets rather than a “hub country” for natural gas and oil, Ember Türkiye and Caucasus Regional Lead Ufuk Alparslan told Anadolu Agency (AA).

Alparslan noted that domestic resources account for more than half of Türkiye’s electricity generation, while almost all newly commissioned capacity consists of renewables.

“Türkiye’s high renewable energy potential and the increasing reliance of its electricity system on clean energy are strengthening our country’s goal of becoming a regional hub in renewable energy,” he said.

“In line with this goal, interconnections linking electricity systems can also play an important role,” he added.

Alparslan said this goal could boost regional electricity trade and facilitate Türkiye’s access to international financing for clean energy investments as it prepares to host COP31.

Interconnections extending across a broad geography, particularly in an east-west direction, could enable more efficient use of solar energy by taking advantage of differences in sunrise and sunset times between regions, he said.

Türkiye’s future potential for interconnections is not limited to the Middle East, Alparslan stated.

“The interconnection Türkiye will establish with mainland Azerbaijan, particularly through Nakhchivan, and new connections extending to Central Asia via Azerbaijan could enable Türkiye to become one of the key junction points of a much broader electricity system between Europe and Central Asia,” he added.

DAILYSABAH