BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 2. We want to become a national center of expertise in the field of green energy in Azerbaijan, Elchin Targuliyev, solar and wind energy expert at SOCAR Green, said during a panel discussion titled "Sustainability in the Energy Industry", held as part of the 30th Anniversary Baku Energy Week, Trend reports.
"To achieve this, we are cooperating with various technology owners, equipment manufacturers, and training organizations so that we can position ourselves as the national center of expertise in green technologies," the expert clarified.
He noted that SOCAR's strategy is to transform from an oil and gas company into a national energy company by 2035 and to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
"This is a very ambitious and strategic goal, aiming to reduce emissions by 40 percent by 2050. As part of this strategy, SOCAR Green was established to lead all these green initiatives.
Since its founding in 2024, SOCAR Green has been closely cooperating with all its international partners, including MASDAR, ACWA Power, bp Azerbaijan, China Energy, Power China, China Datang, and other corporations," Targuliyev mentioned.
The company representative pointed out that they currently have projects with a combined capacity of 1.66 gigawatts in the development phase, and these are expected to enter commercial operation by 2028.
"Besides, we have over 10 projects in the pipeline with an estimated capacity of eight-nine gigawatts. We are rapidly advancing, shaping our strategy in parallel with the country’s national strategy. We are not only implementing renewable energy projects but also developing biofuel projects. We are diversifying our energy production.
We are exploring bioenergy, green hydrogen, and technologies for carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS). Essentially, we are focusing on all green technologies that will help us achieve both our corporate and national goals," he added.
Targuliyev stressed that in doing so, SOCAR Green is also helping SOCAR’s own facilities meet decarbonization goals.
"We support them by developing roadmaps and implementing renewable energy, decarbonization, and other related projects.
Furthermore, we are not just focusing on large-scale projects but also working with various international companies on small- and medium-scale renewable energy projects.
These smaller projects also significantly support the decarbonization of our energy assets.
As you know, individual facilities do not require large-scale 100- or 200-megawatt solar or wind power plants. These facilities only need enough energy to meet their own demands, and we are working in this direction as well.
At the final stage of this process, we aim to turn Azerbaijan into a national center of expertise in the field of green energy. To achieve this, we are cooperating with various technology owners, equipment manufacturers, and training institutions to position ourselves as a national hub for green technologies," he said.
The company representative also touched on the current legal framework in the field of green energy and noted that SOCAR Green is currently transitioning from a single-source energy system to a diversified energy system.
"At the same time, we are moving away from a single-ownership model where previously there was only one energy producer in Azerbaijan. Now we have several independent power producers (IPPs), and there will be more. We are heading toward a liberal energy market, and SOCAR Green is leading this transition.
We want to become the largest independent power producer (IPP) in Azerbaijan. We don’t just want to be one of the IPPs. We want to become the national energy champion in the field of energy transition — and to achieve this with green technologies. We want to do this with solar energy, with wind energy, and with various other renewable energy sources, including geothermal and bioenergy — across different types and directions of renewable energy technologies, and not just in one part of the country, but throughout the entire territory. We want to achieve this through both large-scale and commercial-scale projects," he added.
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