Adding to its growing role as a gas supplier, Azerbaijan is planning to raise its exports to energy hungry Turkey by launching deliveries of electricity by the end of the year, a Azeri power official announced on October 20.
Etibar Pirverdiyev, head of utility Azerenergy, said work on the reconstruction and rehabilitation of power grids from Azerbaijan to the border with Georgia is already complete, as part of the "Energy Bridge" project, reports Trend.az. The scheme aims to link the Azeri, Georgian and Turkish power systems.

Construction of the necessary Azeri power grids has also been completed, Pirverdiyev said. "I believe that the work on the territory of Turkey will be completed by late this year and Azerbaijani electric power will be able to enter the Turkish market," the official claimed.

In the first phase of the project, Azeri power grids are set to send 350MW to the ravenous Turkish market, with a second stage to boost exports to 700MW ore year. The rapid expansion of the Turkish economy has seen power demand rocketing, and the country is struggling to build the necessary additional capacity.
In addition, Turkey hopes to turn itself into a regional power market eventually. According to Pirverdiyev, quotas determining the share of electricity to be exported by Azerbaijan are currently being discussed with the Georgian and Turkish sides.
Source: bne