Armenian and Azerbaijani delegations discuss power line construction in Gori
On October 8, delegations from Azerbaijan and Armenia met in the Armenian city of Gori. At the meeting, they discussed the construction of power transmission lines within the framework of the "Trump Route" project. Recently, Armenia has also been holding negotiations with Russia and Turkey in order to diversify its electricity supply sources.
In August, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated that Azerbaijan could begin supplying electricity to Armenia. According to him, Armenia will not be able to continue operating the Soviet-era Metsamor nuclear power plant indefinitely, and if the plant shuts down, a risk of electricity shortages could arise. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that the country currently has an excess supply of electricity, but growing demand from the economy could make imports necessary in the future.
"Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity" (TRIPP) is part of the agreement reached between Armenia and Azerbaijan through the mediation of the United States. The project will connect Azerbaijan with its exclave Nakhchivan through the territory of Armenia. The route is to include a railway, a motorway, pipelines, electricity infrastructure and digital data transmission networks.
According to Aliyev, Azerbaijani specialists have already conducted preliminary surveys on the territory of Armenia and identified possible locations for the placement of power line supports. He added that construction of a line for transit of electricity from Azerbaijan through Armenia to Nakhchivan could begin immediately, and that it would take a maximum of six months to complete it.
The current operating period of the Metsamor nuclear power plant expires in 2036, but in February Pashinyan said that its operation could be extended until 2046. Armenia previously planned to replace the plant with a small modular nuclear reactor in order to reduce its dependence on a single energy source. Now Pashinyan appears set to review the government's earlier position. He argued that, due to growing energy demand from artificial intelligence data centers, Armenia could face an electricity shortage if it chooses the modular option.
In September, Pashinyan discussed the possibility of building a new nuclear facility with Alexei Likhachev, Director General of the Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom. In October, Yerevan also began negotiations with Turkey on restoring the Gyumri–Kars power transmission line.
