BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept.11
By Sadraddin Aghjayev – Trend:
The Azerbaijani State Agency for Renewable Energy Sources (RES) said this week that projects with Saudi Arabian Acwa Power and the UAE’s Masdar companies in Azerbaijan will ensure saving more than 300 million cubic meters of natural gas per year, Trend reports.
According to the agency, Acwa Power will install a wind power plant with a capacity of 240 megawatts in Azerbaijan, and Masdar will set a solar power plant with a capacity of 230 megawatts. If both contracts are successfully implemented in the country, 1.5 billion kilowatts of electricity are projected to be generated per year. This will reduce emissions of 600,000 tons of CO2.
As to date, the share of renewable energy sources in the overall electricity industry of Azerbaijan makes up 17 percent, and by 2030, this indicator is planned to be brought up to 30 percent.
Besides, it was reported this week that electricity generation in Azerbaijani territories liberated from Armenian occupation [in the 2020 second Karabakh war] will be provided by renewable energy sources. Earlier, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev declared Karabakh region a ‘green energy’ zone.
The US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Lee Litzenberger said in the outgoing week that the energy infrastructure that Azerbaijan built will make the country a future supplier of hydrogen to the European market.
According to him, new wind and solar projects show that Azerbaijan plays an active role in fighting climate change.
Market based reforms in the Azerbaijan electricity sector are critical to accelerating the transition to green energy. So the US looks forward to working in Azerbaijan in this direction, he noted.
The diplomat further said that US companies are prepared to partner with Azerbaijan in bringing renewable to the market, and the best way to get the companies involved is through the transparent tender process.
Litzenberger added that the transformation of the Azerbaijan energy sector has been beneficial not only for the country but also for European energy security.
This week it was also reported that the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which supplies Azerbaijani gas to Europe, the Bulgaria-Romania-Hungary-Austria (BRUA) pipeline corridor, and the LNG terminal on the island of Krk (Croatia) will improve gas supply security and competition in Europe.
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