BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept.23
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
Azerbaijan’s renewable energy potential is estimated at 27GW with major part accounting to wind and solar energy, Head of Azerbaijan Renewable Energy Agency under the Ministry of Energy Tabriz Ammayev told Trend.
“Azerbaijan is taking important steps towards implementation of new renewable energy projects in order to effectively use the existing potential. The country’s total electricity production capacity is 7,530 MW, of which 1,293 MW or 17.2 percent account for renewables, including large hydropower plants. A solar power plant with capacity of 22 MW in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, as well as a 50 MW wind power plant in Yeni Yashma are among the large-scale renewable energy projects implemented in Azerbaijan. Renewables accounted for 6 percent of the total electricity production in the country in 2020,” he said.
Ammayev added that Azerbaijan cooperates with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) on working out a road map for the development of offshore wind energy in the country in order to reveal the wind energy potential in the Caspian Sea and in coastal areas.
“Azerbaijan’s Energy Ministry and IFC signed a memorandum of understanding on April 14, 2021 on use of offshore wind energy. The project is financed as part of the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP). Initial studies conducted as part of ESMAP show that Azerbaijan’s technical offshore wind energy potential is 157 GW.”
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