By Bosphorus News Energy Desk
Türkiye and Armenia have opened operator-level talks on restoring the Kars-Gyumri electricity interconnector, with Turkish Electricity Transmission Corporation (TEİAŞ) Chairman and acting General Manager Mustafa Pustu leading a delegation to Armenia on October 5.
Armenian Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Davit Khudatyan said he and the Turkish delegation discussed work to "restore and bring into operation" the Gyumri-Kars transmission line as part of the Armenia-Türkiye normalization process. He said the talks also covered interconnection of the two electricity systems for bilateral and regional cooperation.
The Turkish delegation also met the management of Armenia's electricity system operator and high-voltage network company. Those talks put the project directly before the institutions that would manage the connection.
TEİAŞ lists Kars-Gyumri among Türkiye's international transmission links, but its 2026 data shows zero megawatts of net transfer capacity in both directions throughout the year. The line remains on the two countries' grid map but is not currently available for electricity transfers.
The work follows a decision reached by the two countries' normalization representatives on September 12, 2025. After talks in Yerevan, they agreed that the relevant authorities would carry out technical studies for the rehabilitation and operation of both the Gyumri-Kars railway and the electricity interconnector.
The electricity talks come as cross-border transport and trade remain restricted. In September, business groups from Türkiye and Armenia renewed calls for the border to open to regular commerce after an 82-member delegation from Van had to travel through Georgia to reach Yerevan.
The Kars-Gyumri line is separate from another electricity project farther south. Türkiye and Azerbaijan are advancing a 1 GW Nakhchivan power link, with construction on the Azerbaijani side progressing toward the Armenian border and the onward connection expected to pass through Armenia under the TRIPP framework.
The projects follow different routes and serve different purposes, but both place Armenia inside electricity connections linking Türkiye with the South Caucasus.
Khudatyan's account did not give a commissioning date, planned transfer capacity or construction timetable for the Kars-Gyumri line.
Sources: Armenpress, TEİAŞ, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Bosphorus News review and reporting.