Aliyev Envisions Power Lines, Oil and Gas Pipelines Through Armenia Under TRIPP, Warns Armenia Will Face Energy Crisis

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev says the planned TRIPP route through Armenia could eventually carry electricity lines, fiber-optic cables and oil and gas pipelines alongside road and rail connections, as lawmakers from both Armenia’s government and opposition reject his claim that the country could face an energy crisis after the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant closes.

Aliyev outlined the bigger vision during an Aug. 11 visit to Nakhijevan, telling Azerbaijani state television that an energy connection between mainland Azerbaijan and the exclave could become a key part of TRIPP.

Azerbaijan has already prepared plans for an electricity transmission line crossing Armenian territory, Aliyev said. He claimed Azerbaijani specialists have studied the proposed route and identified locations where substations would need to be built.

“We have a ready project for electricity transmission lines running through Armenian territory from the main part of Azerbaijan to Nakhijevan,” Aliyev said. “We hope the Armenian side will not delay this issue either.”

Aliyev said TRIPP could eventually accommodate other infrastructure, including fiber-optic cables and oil and gas pipelines.

The Azerbaijani president linked the proposed electricity connection to the future of Armenia’s Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant, arguing that Armenia would need alternative energy sources once the facility is retired.

Aliyev described the plant as outdated and claimed it poses a danger to the region, pointing to concerns previously raised by Azerbaijan and Turkey. He said its operating life could not be extended indefinitely and predicted its eventual closure would leave Armenia facing an energy crisis.

“Naturally, if it is closed, Armenia will face a full-scale energy crisis,” Aliyev said. “Therefore, having an alternative source would only be beneficial.”

His comments drew responses Wednesday from lawmakers on both sides of Armenia’s political divide.

Civil Contract lawmaker Arman Yeghoyan said Armenia already plans to keep Metsamor operating until 2036 and is working on a replacement.

Yeghoyan said the plant’s expected lifespan is governed by technical and safety limits rather than political decisions in Armenia, Azerbaijan or elsewhere.

“The nuclear power plant has an operational lifespan,” Yeghoyan told reporters. “That period is determined neither by the Armenian government nor by the Azerbaijani government, nor by any government in the world, because it is the maximum permissible period of physical operation of the nuclear power plant. That period is 2036.”

He said the timeline was established before Aliyev’s remarks and that Armenia has already begun planning for what comes next.

“Aliyev did not make this discovery,” Yeghoyan said. “The period has already been established by documents: 2036 is the maximum operating period of our nuclear power plant.”

Armenia is in talks with the United States, France, China, Russia and South Korea as it considers options for a replacement facility, including modular reactor technology. Work is underway in the meantime to extend Metsamor’s operating life through 2036.

Yeghoyan also pointed to Armenia’s Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement with the European Union, signed in 2017, which addresses the future of the nuclear facility.

“It is not that the agreement determined that this period exists; rather, because this period exists, it was reflected in the agreement,” Yeghoyan said.

He said the agreement also calls for Metsamor to be replaced with equivalent generating capacity.

Narek Karapetyan, head of the opposition Strong Armenia faction in parliament, separately rejected Aliyev’s prediction of an energy crisis, saying Armenia has several viable options for replacing Metsamor.

Karapetyan said more than one potential partner has submitted proposals for a new nuclear plant and that Armenia is capable of securing new nuclear generating capacity before the existing facility reaches the end of its operating life.

“There are proposals that would allow us to build a new nuclear power plant, as a result of which the country would have access to cheap electricity,” Karapetyan said. “We have two or three good options, so I think neighboring countries have nothing to worry about.”

“Our country certainly has the ability to build a new nuclear power plant,” he added. “More than one partner is offering terms under which it could be built.”

Karapetyan also pointed to Armenia’s growing solar power sector, saying the country produces surplus electricity during daytime hours.

He listed investment in the energy sector and cited the role of Tashir Group, where he worked before entering parliament.

“In terms of solar energy, Armenia is among the more developed countries,” Karapetyan said. “Overall, investment in Armenia’s energy sector has been very high.”

The opposition lawmaker said Armenia could export surplus solar-generated electricity during the day, while additional generating capacity would be needed to cover nighttime demand.

Karapetyan said he had worked before entering parliament on a proposal for a thermal power plant designed to help address that gap. Under the concept he described, Armenia could export solar electricity during daylight hours and use a gas-fired thermal plant at night, with the gas supplied from Iran.

“Electricity generated from solar energy would be exported during the day, while at night, a thermal power plant running on gas imported from Iran would be brought online,” Karapetyan said.

Metsamor remains a major part of Armenia’s electricity system, making its replacement one of the country’s most consequential long-term infrastructure decisions. The government has not yet announced which partner or reactor technology it will select for the new plant.

Aliyev also discussed plans to modernize railway infrastructure in Nakhijevan, saying construction has begun in areas near the Armenian border.

He raised the possibility of creating an international consortium to participate in upgrading the exclave’s railway network but said Azerbaijan would require a controlling stake.

“It is possible that an international consortium could be established to modernize Nakhijevan’s railways, provided that the controlling stake belongs to Azerbaijan,” Aliyev said.

He added that Baku is open to outside investment but could proceed with the railway project without foreign participation.

Nakhijevan already has a railway network, though Azerbaijani authorities say existing infrastructure needs to be modernized and sections near Armenia restored before cross-border rail service can resume.

Azerbaijan previously discussed the railway plans with a European Union delegation led by Magdalena Grono, the EU special representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia.

Aliyev’s remarks offer a broader picture of how Baku envisions TRIPP developing beyond transportation, potentially turning the route through Armenia into a wider infrastructure connection carrying electricity, telecommunications networks and pipelines between mainland Azerbaijan and Nakhijevan.

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