BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 15. The world has reached a crucial juncture in climate and energy, and uniting at this significant moment presents a historic opportunity to influence the global energy future, Azerbaijani Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov said at a high-level roundtable on green energy, hydrogen, global energy resources, and grids, Trend reports.
''Through today's initiatives, we will demonstrate our commitment to a rapid transition to renewable energy,'' he added.
The minister noted that thanks to the strong support given by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to the energy transition, the initiative of green energy zones in the nation's Karabakh, East Zangezur, and Nakhchivan, as well as visionary policy aimed at creating a diversified energy infrastructure to supply green energy from the Caspian Sea to Europe, our country is implementing strategic projects standing at the forefront of renewable energy in the region.
“These efforts are the driving force behind the COP29 energy initiatives, aimed not only at building Azerbaijan's clean energy future but also at accelerating the development of green energy in the region and globally and removing barriers. The three energy initiatives consisting of five components put forward by Azerbaijan provide concrete solutions to support the successful fulfillment of COP28 commitments to triple renewable energy and double energy efficiency.
One of them is the Green Energy Commitment, which promotes the establishment of green energy corridors and zones. Green energy corridors are an effective means of large-scale transfer of renewable energy and high-potential energy sources located away from consumption centers. Regional cooperation and establishment of appropriate regulatory frameworks for the development of green energy corridors, as well as ensuring sustainable financial opportunities and increasing the production of HVDC cables, are the main priorities.
Azerbaijan is currently implementing the Caspian-Black Sea-Europe, Central Asia-Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijan-Türkiye-Europe projects. These corridors reflect Azerbaijan's intention to take a leading position not only in energy exports but also in global sustainable development,” the Minister added.
According to Shahbazov, green energy zones are the bread and butter of our journey toward hitting the bullseye of zero net emissions.
“These zones, established in areas rich in renewable energy sources and based exclusively on the use of clean energy, make a significant contribution to attracting investments, ensuring sustainable economic growth, and creating new jobs,” he noted.
It was also noted that the second initiative, the Global Energy Conservation and Grid Pledge, aims to increase the installed capacity of energy conservation systems sixfold to 1,500 gigawatts by 2030. This collective goal also includes elements such as encouraging investment in storage and the deployment of new technologies. Another component of the initiative calls for increased investment in power and transmission systems, modernization, and expansion of existing infrastructure.
“Included in this context was a commitment to add or upgrade 25 million kilometers of grid around the world by 2030 and another 65 million kilometers by 2040. This initiative is of strategic importance in terms of addressing the shortcomings of the existing grid infrastructure in supporting variable renewables, integrating larger green energy capacity into the grid, and balancing energy supply and demand.
The third initiative is titled "COP29 Hydrogen Declaration." Hydrogen is a potent energy source for achieving a zero-emission future. Its application will render the industrial, transportation, and energy sectors more environmentally friendly and sustainable, thereby realizing the complete potential of renewable energy. "The Hydrogen Declaration" addresses hydrogen objectives and collective commitments that endorse hydrogen's significance in the energy transition, along with initiatives to advance hydrogen standards and certification.
Green hydrogen is an important element of Azerbaijan's energy export portfolio diversification and decarbonization policy, and the unveiling of a hydrogen strategy under COP also shows its determination in this direction. These initiatives will provide a strong incentive for both state and non-state actors to achieve climate goals. Here at COP29, we invite everyone to join these commitments, to step up action on climate change, and to take steps together for a brighter future.
At the same time, we believe it is important to assess the progress of these initiatives at future COP meetings and reflect them in the IEA and IRENA reports. The support of each of you strengthens our collective strength. Let us raise global efforts to combat climate change to a higher level and build a sustainable future for our world, making COP29 a landmark event,” summarized the minister.
The 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), which will last until November 22, opened at the Baku Olympic Stadium on November 11. The event is the largest organized by Azerbaijan to date, and for the first time, it is held in the region of Azerbaijan.
The highest-level event, the World Leaders' Summit on Climate
Action, took place at COP29 on November 12-13.
The main expectation from COP29 is to agree on a fair and ambitious
New Collective Quantitative Goal (NCQG) on climate finance.
In addition to being a top priority that sets the stage for action, the creation of climate finance will also contribute to meeting the 1.5°C commitment by bringing everyone together.
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change is an agreement signed at the Rio Earth Summit in June 1992 to prevent dangerous human interference in the climate system. The acronym COP (Conference of Parties) stands for “Conference of Parties” and is the highest legislative body overseeing the implementation of the Framework Convention on Climate Change.
A total of 198 countries are parties to the Convention. Unless otherwise decided by the parties, COP is held annually. The first COP event was held in March 1995 in Berlin, and its secretariat is located in Bonn.
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