BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 15. In the future, we can organize the exports of electricity through the Zangazur corridor, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said addressing the meeting dedicated to the results of six months of this year, Trend reports.
"I want to say a few words about the energy sector, because it has always been a priority for us. Our energy capabilities are of great importance for many countries today. We are systematically working in this area too. Of course, a lot of preparatory work has been done over the years so that renewable energy is developed in Azerbaijan, primarily at the expense of foreign investors, and we have finally been able to achieve this. Foreign investors are building three solar and wind power plants with a capacity of 710 megawatts in Azerbaijan at their own expense. Two are already under construction, and preparations are under way for the construction of the third station, in Jabrayil district. The construction of this station will probably begin next year. And this is just the beginning. According to the agreements we have already reached with foreign investors, there are plans to build solar and wind power plants with an additional capacity of 2,000 megawatts, as well as a further 2,000 megawatts. In addition, the generation capacity of hydroelectric power plants in Kalbajar and Lachin districts is being revaluated, because after the war we calculated the generation capacity of only hydroelectric power plants destroyed by the Armenians. There used to be a total of 32 hydroelectric power stations there, which the Armenians savagely destroyed when leaving Kalbajar and Lachin. Having calculated this, we announced a certain figure.
But a deeper analysis is being carried out now, because it is possible to build larger hydroelectric power plants there. An analysis is being conducted now, and we will probably be able to receive more than a thousand megawatts from small hydroelectric power plants alone in the future. Within a year and a half, the construction of nine hydroelectric power stations has either been completed or will be completed by the end of this year. This will provide us with an additional 50 megawatts. In other words, this area was a priority for us even before the second Karabakh war, but it has risen to a completely new level now. I want to say again that the state does not invest a single manat in the production of renewable energy – except for hydroelectric power plants. Only foreign investment is made. Of course, this will allow us the opportunity to export more electricity. Today we are exporting it in the conventional manner – through existing high-voltage lines. In the future, however, we can organize the exports of electricity through the Zangazur corridor, and Europe has presented a new project. There is also a project to lay a cable from Georgia to Romania along the bottom of the Black Sea, and we are interested in this project as well. So there are great prospects in this area. At the same time, this will allow us the opportunity to save natural gas and export it, especially considering that the demand for our gas has increased dramatically lately. The reason for this is very well known, and we, of course, are working in this direction. We have envisaged the gas that will be produced from promising fields both for the domestic needs and for exports. So far, the Shah Deniz field is our resource base for exports, but in the near future, gas production is also expected at Absheron, Shafag, Asiman, Umid-Babek fields and the deep-water portion of the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli fields. So this is a tremendous resource, and extensive work is currently underway on all the projects I have mentioned. These are not just exploration projects – hard work is underway. On 18 July, there are plans to sign a memorandum in the field of energy between the European Union and Azerbaijan. In other words, this is also our contribution to the energy security of Europe and other countries," the head of state said.