BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 18. The national strategy for the development of hydrogen is being developed in Azerbaijan, the country's Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazov said in an article published in the "Azerbaijan" newspaper, Trend reports.
According to him, hydrogen, which is an important element of the world's “net zero” energy future, is also part of Azerbaijan's green development program and energy supplier's agenda.
He noted that a national hydrogen development strategy is being developed to produce and utilize low-carbon hydrogen, as well as to assess export opportunities through green corridors and set targets based on the scenarios drawn up.
“The document “Development of Azerbaijan's National Hydrogen Strategy and its Implementation Plan” is planned to be finalized before COP29 and presented on “Energy Day”. The past period was marked by significant achievements in the field of energy efficiency, which is one of the main pillars of the energy transition.
Following the adoption of a new law and 14 by-laws in this area, the Energy Efficiency Fund was established by a decree of President Ilham Aliyev in March this year, which plays a special role in stimulating energy efficiency measures and rational use of energy resources. The Fund provides for the allocation of grants and subsidies, implementation of pilot projects, and provision of soft loans. The fund is administered by the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Azerbaijan as the Energy Regulatory Agency.
At present, the requirements for the projects to be supported by the Fund are being determined. Also during this period, measures were taken to appoint an energy manager in economic entities and non-residential buildings operating in the public and private sectors, to conduct energy audits, and to ensure energy efficiency in the areas of energy production and supply.
The processes related to the development of a national program for renovation of private and public buildings and a number of new legislative and regulatory acts on energy efficiency are ongoing. In addition, before the COP29 event, a 'Scenario Outcome Document' prepared within the framework of the technical assistance project 'Low Carbon Solutions in the Electricity Sector of Azerbaijan' supported by the EBRD will be presented," the minister said in the article.