Envoy: Azerbaijan hopes Italy, Slovenia to join Black Sea Energy project

Azerbaijan is seeking the participation of Italy and Slovenia in its Black Sea Energy initiative, a green energy corridor aimed at linking the South Caucasus with South-Eastern Europe.

Speaking at the “From the Caucasus to the Mediterranean” conference in Rome, Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Italy, Rashad Aslanov, highlighted the country’s growing appeal for international cooperation, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

“Looking at the map, it is clear that Europe’s connection with Asia, China, and Central Asia inevitably passes through Azerbaijan,” Aslanov said.

“We are actively developing our infrastructure. This involves not only oil and gas, but also an electricity cable project that will eventually connect Central Asia, via the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Black Sea, Romania, Hungary, and, we hope, Slovenia and Italy. The project is currently being evaluated with the involvement of the Milan-based Italian company CESI.”

The Black Sea Energy initiative builds on a memorandum of understanding signed on July 25, 2023, between Georgia, Hungary, Romania, and Azerbaijan, establishing a joint venture for the green corridor.

The undersea cable project is the largest infrastructure undertaking of its kind, directly linking Georgia and Romania while connecting the power systems of the South Caucasus and South-Eastern Europe.

Stretching more than 1,155 km—1,115 km underwater and 40 km over land—the cable will operate at 525 kV and deliver 1,300 MW of electricity. Completion is scheduled for 2032.

By Aghakazim Guliyev