Uninterrupted Natural Gas to Nakhchivan via Türkiye

Connection to Dilucu

Iğdır-Nahcivan Natural Gas Pipeline was opened. A ceremony was held at the Presidential Complex for the opening. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev attended the ceremony. First, a live connection was made to the Dilucu Main Measurement Station of the Natural Gas Transmission IVth Regional Directorate located on the Iğdır-Nahçıvan border.

Will also be able to flow in the opposite direction

Azerbaijan's Energy Minister Shahbazov pointed out that the pipeline is important for the energy security of the two countries and said that it will contribute to the development of both Nakhchivan and Igdir. Emphasizing that the natural gas in the line can also move in the opposite direction, Shahbazov thanked BOTAŞ and SOCAR for their contribution to the project. 

Symbol Project

Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar stated that they opened one of the important symbol projects of the brotherhood between Türkiye and Azerbaijan and said, “Türkiye and Azerbaijan continue their projects that will contribute to the supply security of both Europe and the world under your leadership. With the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum and TANAP pipeline projects, Türkiye and Azerbaijan are fulfilling an important task for the world's oil supply and Europe's natural gas supply.”

Electricity from Nakhchivan to Türkiye

Stating that with the project, the entire natural gas needs of the people of Nakhchivan will be met through Igdir, Minister Bayraktar said: “We are hopefully making the unshakable bond between the two countries even stronger with energy ties. Under your leadership and in line with the vision you have drawn for us, our next project will hopefully be an electricity production line from Nakhchivan to Türkiye.”

Seen as a Dream

In his speech at the ceremony, President Erdoğan emphasized that they have made progress in every field in the relations embodied in the slogan “One nation, two states” and said, “The energy sector is at the forefront of these. We have endeavored to carry our energy cooperation further with the commissioning of the Shahdeniz Field and the commissioning of the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum natural gas pipeline, such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Crude Oil Pipeline, which some consider a dream.”

Sign of the Union of Destiny

Underlining that they are in full harmony with Azerbaijan in commissioning strategic and game-changing projects, President Erdoğan said: “The Igdir-Nakhchivan Natural Gas Pipeline will complement our strategic initiatives in the field of energy. It will also be a sign of our unity of destiny with Nakhchivan. This 80 km. long line, built by BOTAŞ, with a daily transportation capacity of up to 2 million cubic meters, will meet all of Nakhchivan's natural gas needs for at least 30 years. We will continue this process by strengthening our electricity connections with Nakhchivan.”

Ancient Land of Azerbaijan

Speaking at the ceremony, Azerbaijani President Aliyev reminded that they laid the foundation of the line a year and a half ago and said that Nakhchivan was an ancient Azerbaijani land but had been separated from Azerbaijan with the Soviet rule for a century. Noting that Armenians had planned to occupy Nakhchivan during the First Karabakh War, but his father Heydar Aliyev did not allow this, Aliyev said that a Bridge of Hope was built between Türkiye and Nakhchivan. 

Half of Exports to Türkiye

Aliyev stated that the two countries have realized giant projects and that oil and natural gas projects have changed not only the two countries but also the energy map of Eurasia. Stating that Azerbaijani gas going through Türkiye ensures the energy security of many countries, Aliyev said, “Last year, Azerbaijan's gas exports reached 25 billion cubic meters. An estimated half of it is through Türkiye. 10 European countries are also strengthening their energy security by buying Azerbaijani gas through Türkiye. Our 500 thousand compatriots living in Nakhchivan will celebrate this ceremony like a feast during Ramadan.”

Completed in 18 Months

In 2020, the two countries signed a “Memorandum of Understanding on Natural Gas Supply to the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic”. In September 2023, the foundations of the pipeline were laid in Nakhchivan with the participation of the two presidents. After about 18 months, the pipeline was commissioned. 

2 million cubic meters per day

The Iğdır-Nahcivan Natural Gas Pipeline aims to further deepen the energy partnership between Türkiye and Azerbaijan and contribute to Europe's energy supply security. The line, realized in cooperation with BOTAŞ and SOCAR, will have a daily natural gas transportation capacity of 2 million cubic meters. With the commissioning of the line, all of Nakhchivan's natural gas needs will be met through Türkiye.