Cross-border electricity links will be central to the global energy transition, and Türkiye is well placed to benefit, the chairman of the International Council on Large Electric Systems (CIGRE) said.
"Interconnections are going to play a pivotal role in the energy transition in the future and Türkiye has a very nice position in it," Konstantin O. Papailiou told Anadolu in Istanbul, where the Paris-based council held its 144th board meeting.
"Türkiye's specific location has a pivotal role," Papailiou noted.
He pointed to cross-border power links already taking shape, such as those between Spain and Africa, and ongoing talks between Saudi Arabia and Greece, saying "all these regions are very important for the future interconnections."
Türkiye is synchronously connected to the European grid via Greece and Bulgaria, with additional links to Georgia, Iran and Syria, while planned projects with Iraq and Azerbaijan could strengthen its role as a regional power hub.
- CIGRE emerges as global hub for energy transition solutions
Papailiou said that CIGRE, founded more than a century ago, is one of the largest non-governmental, non-profit organizations in the world in the electric power sector.
"We have more than 20,000 members from 100 countries. We have 60 national committees including Türkiye and our mission is the sharing of knowledge," he added.
The council operates with more than 250 working groups and a wide range of publications. Papailiou said that the global shift to low-carbon energy has made CIGRE's work even more critical.
"In particular now, CIGRE is in the center of interest because of the necessity of the energy transition," he said.
"We have special dedicated working groups to treat all different aspects of the energy transition like storage, grid forming, hydrogen, artificial intelligence. So CIGRE is the place where things happen," he noted.
- 'Energy transition is a necessity, not an option'
Calling the energy transition an obligation rather than a choice, Papailiou underlined the importance of emerging technologies.
"The energy transition is a necessity, not an option," he said. "If we don't manage to decarbonize the planet, then we'll have a big problem."
He added that technologies such as energy storage, smart grids and AI "will play an important role" in the transition.
"CIGRE is fostering and supporting all of them by scientific work and in particular by making it more known to the public and to the politicians," he said.
On Türkiye's plan to invest about $30 billion in transmission infrastructure by 2035, Papailiou said: "I am always saying, 'There is no transition without transmission.' So in this sense, CIGRE is going to be in the center of it."
"CIGRE will assist Türkiye by its national committee," he said, adding that the country has "a very active national committee in Türkiye which is organizing also this nice meeting."
Papailiou also welcomed Türkiye's plans for new links with neighboring countries.
"I heard with great pleasure from colleagues from Turkish Electricity Transmission Corporation (TEIAS) that also there are many interconnections and there is also a new interconnection plan with my home country, Greece."
"As you can see, electric energy connects and does not divide people," he added.
By Firdevs Yuksel and Handan Kazanci
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr
