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Cabinet approves clean energy partnership with Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye, to be signed at COP31

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High-voltage electricity transmission towers and lines crossing green hills at sunset Politics
High-voltage electricity transmission towers and lines crossing green hills at sunset

The draft five-year agreement provides for a joint venture of transmission operators to develop power and fibre-optic links and to support investment in existing grids.

Bulgaria's Council of Ministers has approved a draft Strategic Partnership Agreement on Clean Energy between Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia and Türkiye, BTA reported on 4 November. The agreement is expected to be signed at the 31st UN climate conference, COP31, which runs from 9 to 20 November 2026 in Antalya, Türkiye.

The document builds on a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the transmission and trade of green energy, signed by the energy ministers of the four countries in Baku on 4 April 2025. Its main aim is to deepen cooperation in the transmission and supply of clean energy among the four countries.

Under the draft, the countries will work together on technical and commercial conditions, regulatory rules and other organisational requirements for the safe, reliable and uninterrupted transmission of electricity. The partnership also covers communications and data transmission through fibre-optic cables to support energy services under the project.

Each country will designate transmission system operators or state-owned companies to become shareholders in a joint venture. That company will be responsible for developing and implementing projects that serve the goals of the agreement. The agreement is also expected to facilitate investment in the existing electricity transmission infrastructure of the participating countries.

The agreement is for five years and will be renewed automatically for one-year periods unless a party withdraws.

For Bulgaria, which sits on the route between the Caspian region and the EU, the project is a potential source of grid investment and electricity trade. The agreement sets out the framework and the joint venture structure; specific projects, routes and costs have not yet been announced.

Sources