Black Sea Energy Corridor nations set key priorities ahead of Baku ministerial meeting

Countries involved in the Black Sea Energy Corridor have outlined key priorities to be addressed ahead of the ministerial meeting in Baku, scheduled for early March. 

This decision was reached by deputy energy ministers during a working group session of the Green Energy Corridor joint venture (GECO, Black Sea Energy), Caliber.Az reports via local media.

Discussions focused on potential synergies between the Black Sea submarine cable and the Central Asia-Azerbaijan Trans-Caspian Green Energy Cable projects. Following the meeting, priority areas for further action were identified to advance the initiatives. 

The upcoming ministerial meeting on the Black Sea Energy Corridor will coincide with the 12th ministerial session of the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) Advisory Council and the 4th ministerial meeting of the Green Energy Advisory Council.

The foundation for these initiatives was laid in 2022, when Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania, and Hungary signed a strategic partnership agreement in Bucharest on the development and transmission of green energy. 

This agreement represented a significant step toward establishing a green energy corridor to Europe. Further progress was made on July 25, 2023, when Georgia, Hungary, Romania, and Azerbaijan signed a memorandum of understanding to create a joint venture for the Caspian-Black Sea-Europe green corridor project.

The Black Sea submarine cable project represents a major infrastructure endeavor, directly connecting Georgia and Romania and linking the energy systems of the South Caucasus with Southeastern Europe. The cable will span over 1,155 km—1,115 km underwater and 40 km on land—operating at a voltage of 525 kV with a capacity of 1,300 MW. Completion of the undersea cable is planned for 2032.

On April 4, 2025, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, with support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the AIIB, agreed to launch the first phase of the Caspian Green Energy Corridor initiative. The parties signed a cooperation agreement to conduct a feasibility study for the project, which aims to integrate the three countries’ energy systems and establish a renewable energy supply route to Europe.

This initiative builds on the strategic partnership agreement on green energy signed by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan in November 2024 at COP29. The Central Asia-Azerbaijan Energy Corridor, developed by Azerbaijan in partnership with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan—countries with significant solar energy potential—could ultimately link to the Caspian-Black Sea Corridor, connecting large parts of Central Asia with Europe through two seas.

By Jeyhun Aghazada