Armenia and Turkey discuss restoring Gyumri–Kars power line

Armenia and Turkey have discussed restoring and commissioning the Gyumri–Kars transmission line as Yerevan pushes to secure alternative energy sources and to normalise ties with Ankara.

The talks took place in Armenia, with Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Minister Davit Khudatyan receiving a delegation from the Turkish Electricity Transmission Corporation (TEIAS), led by its chair and general manager, Mustafa Pustu.

Following his meeting with the TEIAS delegation, Khudatyan said on Facebook that he emphasised the importance of interconnecting the electricity systems of Armenia and Turkey for bilateral and regional cooperation. The Turkish delegation also met with the management of Armenia’s Electro Power Systems Operator and High Voltage Electric Networks.

Armenia and Turkey have been actively working on normalising their ties since 2022, with special envoys meeting at their shared border and in their respective capitals. However, diplomatic relations have not yet been established, and the land border remains closed.

Turkey closed off its border to Armenia during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War in 1993. In May, Turkey lifted restrictions on the trade of goods with Armenia, allowing for bilateral trade to go forward without goods needing to be re-registered by a third country before crossing the border.

Armenia’s growing energy needs

Armenia’s energy sector has been in transition since the state moved to take control of the national grid operator, Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA), the national electricity distributor, and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that new demand, including that from AI data centres, could result in Armenia no longer having an electricity surplus.

Yerevan moved to nationalise ENA after its owner, billionaire and opposition leader Samvel Karapetyan, was detained on charges of ‘usurping power’ in June 2025.

In May 2026, the government announced that it would begin expropriating Karapetyan’s shares. The Karapetyan family has launched an investment arbitration case, seeking $500 million over what it describes as expropriation. The government argues that it took over the company to improve the quality of its service and to protect public interest, but critics claim that it is in response to Karapetyan’s political ambitions in Armenia.

Armenia also relies heavily on power generated by the Metsamor nuclear power plant — the only nuclear power plant in the South Caucasus.

Armenia has contracted Russia’s Rosatom to extend the operational lifespan of Metsamor’s sole functioning reactor. Pashinyan has said that operation could be extended to 2046, following an earlier extension to 2036. Yerevan was also considering proposals for small modular reactors from Russia, the US, France, China, and South Korea. However, Pashinyan later announced that due to higher demand, the modular solution might not be enough for Armenia’s energy needs.

The issue of electricity has also become part of the wider debate on peace and connectivity in Armenia–Azerbaijan relations.

In August, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev proposed that Azerbaijan could supply Armenia with electricity, arguing that Armenia cannot indefinitely rely on Metsamor. He stated that a power line from Azerbaijan through Armenia to Nakhchivan was ready to be constructed. In response, Pashinyan said that Armenia, which was previously assumed to have a power surplus, could face new demand from rapidly growing AI data centres. He added that Armenia could trade electricity with Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iran, and Georgia.

Restoring the Gyumri–Kars line would provide Yerevan with an alternative route for electricity trade, in addition to its existing links with Iran and Georgia.