The proposed electricity corridor linking Azerbaijan, Georgia, Türkiye and Bulgaria could open a new route for renewable energy from the Caucasus to the European market.
Bulgaria will press Azerbaijan to accelerate the development of the Green Energy Corridor, a project designed to deepen energy cooperation between Sofia, Baku, Ankara and Tbilisi. Prime Minister Rumen Radev announced the initiative in Dublin, where he is attending the European Political Community summit, in response to a question from an international media outlet.
The project was subsequently discussed at a forum in
Istanbul in 2026, where Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Türkiye and Georgia signed a
roadmap. The four countries aim to develop an interconnected network that would
allow each of them to make more efficient use of its energy resources and share
them with its partners, generating wider socio-economic benefits.
From political commitment to regional energy integration
Cooperation was further strengthened through a new document signed on the sidelines of the ongoing COP31 climate summit in Antalya. “Our cooperation is looking ahead,” Radev said in response to a question from an international media outlet. He added that the project would be discussed during his meeting with Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev. “Our talks will not be limited to natural gas supplies. They will also cover the development of the Green Energy Corridor,” Radev said.
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At COP29 in Baku in 2024, Bulgaria called for the corridor to be implemented as soon as possible by making use of existing overland infrastructure and interconnections between Azerbaijan, Georgia, Türkiye and Bulgaria. “We continue to develop our relations, which are based on friendship and cooperation. We have certain requirements and would welcome the opportunity for Azerbaijan to supply larger volumes of natural gas not only to our country but also to Europe as a whole, to the greatest extent possible,” Radev said.
A green electricity version of TANAP
Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Bulgaria are preparing an
intergovernmental agreement on the transmission and trade of green electricity.
According to Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, the document could be
signed during COP31 in Antalya in November.
Bayraktar has described the proposed four-country agreement as a potential “TANAP for electricity”, drawing a parallel with the existing gas corridor that transports Azerbaijani natural gas through Türkiye towards Europe. The ambition is to bring renewable electricity generated in the Caucasus and Türkiye to European markets through Bulgaria.
The proposed arrangement would position Bulgaria at the
entry point of a future electricity trading link with the European power
system. Turning that ambition into reality, however, will require coordination
between transmission system operators, rules governing cross-border capacity
and sufficient grid infrastructure.
For now, Bayraktar's statements point to a political and intergovernmental agreement under preparation rather than a fully developed investment project. No final transmission capacity, budget or commissioning date has been announced. The four countries still need to define the corridor's precise scope and their respective commitments to its technical implementation and commercial operation.
Bulgaria's energy diplomacy dates back to COP29
Bulgaria has been working on the Green Energy Corridor
initiative since 2024, when then Energy Minister Vladimir Malinov held talks
during the 29th session of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC COP29) in Baku. The Bulgarian delegation was led by Rumen Radev, who
was president at the time.
Bulgaria made two significant commitments at the time. The first was the signing of a strategic partnership on the development and transmission of green energy between the governments of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Hungary, under the so-called Green Energy Corridor initiative. The second was Bulgaria's commitment to host an event entitled “Dialogues on Energy Connectivity in Support of Regional Partnerships of the European Political Community for an Enhanced Energy Transition”. The event presented a non-binding policy document (Non-Paper) aimed at promoting regional partnerships and initiatives in renewable energy and emerging energy technologies.
Why a “TANAP for electricity”?
TANAP, the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline, runs across Türkiye and forms a key part of the Southern Gas Corridor, which transports natural gas from Azerbaijan to Europe. The pipeline connects Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz II gas field to the European gas transmission network. Its initial annual capacity is 16 billion cubic metres (bcm). Approximately 6 bcm is allocated to the Turkish market, while the remaining 10 bcm is intended for European markets.
Bulgaria already receives Azerbaijani natural gas through the Greece-Bulgaria Interconnector (IGB), which provides access to the Southern Gas Corridor and the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). The proposed electricity corridor seeks to replicate this strategic connectivity model for renewable power, potentially extending the region's role in Europe's energy security beyond natural gas.