BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 15. The second phase of the restoration efforts in Azerbaijan's Lachin district is set to kick off come spring of next year, acting executive director of the Restoration, Construction, and Management Service in the Lachin district, Tofig Islamov said at a panel discussion at the Caspian Construction Week in Baku, Trend reports.
"As part of the 'Great Return' initiative, more than 846 families, encompassing over 3,000 individuals, have been resettled to date. As of now, 226 dwellings have been rehabilitated in the Lachin district, with occupants having already relocated. These operations constituted the preliminary phase of the rehabilitation. Design work is underway for the second phase, which we intend to finalize by the start of next year. I expect that we will commence this second phase in early spring, concentrating on the restoration of residences, roadways, tourist attractions, hotels, and apartment complexes. Additionally, we are developing new industrial facilities to create further employment prospects. In accordance with our COP29 environmental preservation strategy, we are implementing renewable energy technology, such as the installation of solar panels on rooftops and hybrid solar lamps for street illumination," Islamov said.
He pointed out that to keep the lights on and the wheels turning, solar panels are being put up in 24 homes, while 90 homes are getting solar collectors to boot.
"Solar panels have been installed in the villages of Zabukh and Sus, as well as on the rooftops of two schools and administrative buildings. The region contains eleven small hydropower plants that produce over 80 million kilowatt-hours of renewable energy, conserve more than 20 million cubic meters of natural gas, and avert the release of over 32 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere," Islamov concluded.