Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr.12
By Maksim Tsurkov - Trend:
Currently, Azerbaijan's main goals include developing the non-oil sector, increase the export potential and improve the living conditions of the country's citizens. The power supply sphere is one of the most important factors in achieving these goals. Azerbaijan well understands that and much work has been carried out in this sphere in recent years.
The capacity of the country's power supply system has increased by as much as 40 percent since 2005 and currently, nears 7,200 megawatt. The power potential that was created over this time exceeded the one established during the Soviet period.
It is a very good index for the country that has inherited the power supply system from the Soviet past.
Indeed, about 10 years ago, the major part of the energy infrastructure constructed a long time ago was left over the Soviet period. The power plants, distribution stations and power transmission lines were not repaired and renewed for a long time.
The Soviet infrastructure is largely outdated both morally and physically. Such situation poses great threat especially in the power supply system where it can lead to major man-made disasters. The accident at the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydro power plant that occurred five years ago and left 75 people dead, can serve as a bright example for this.
For this reason, the modernization of the technologies and replacement of the Soviet infrastructure were the priority tasks with which Azerbaijan successfully copes.
Nevertheless, alongside with modernization of the infrastructure and creating new power capacities, improvement of the transmission capacity, supply of electricity directly home to the end user is the important factor.
The power transmission lines - the main link connecting the power plants and consumers - were also left from the Soviet past.
While these problems have already been solved in Baku, the country's regions are still facing certain problems in this regard. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev also mentioned this during the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers on the results of the economic development in the first quarter of 2015.
The structure reform carried out in the country's energy sphere in February was also aimed at eliminating such problems. The single operator of the electricity distribution network - Azerishig JSC - was created as a result of this reform.
The new structure was created on the basis of Bakielektrikshebeke JSC. This decision was made in order to bring the power supply level in the regions up to that of in Baku.
Probably, there is no need to say how the electricity is important in the modern life. Thus, each region, each house, each resident of Azerbaijan will get an uninterrupted access to electricity soon.
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Maksim Tsurkov is Trend Agency's staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @MaksimTsurkov
