Tehran, Jul 17 (IANS): Iranian Energy Minister Ali-Akbar Mehrabian has reportedly said that his country will soon begin electricity exchange with Russia through Azerbaijan.

Iran has considered two routes, one via Azerbaijan and the other via Armenia and Georgia, for electricity exchange with Russia, Mehrabian told Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA), noting that Iran is holding the final negotiations for the start of the projects, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Azerbaijan route involves a less complicated process, as Iran and Azerbaijan have synchronised their power networks to the required extent, said the minister.

Iran and Russia can complement each other favourably by exporting their surplus of electricity mutually, as the latter's electricity consumption peaks in winter while the former in summer, he added.

Mehrabian emphasised that Iran also seeks to connect its power grid to those of other regional states to ensure electricity supply sustainability throughout the year.

At present, Iran exchanges electricity with Iraq, Türkiye, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan, he said, adding Iran is seeking to increase such transactions.