BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 5. Saudi-based ACWA Power company is currently working with the government of Azerbaijan to jointly proceed to the next stage of the battery energy storage project development, Polina Liubomirova, Director of Business Development of ACWA Power for Azerbaijan, told Trend.
ACWA Power and Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Energy signed an Implementation Agreement on a 200 MW Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project in May 2024.
"We have been working very closely lately with Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Energy and Renewable Energy Agency and "Azerenergy" Open Joint-Stock Company on making sure that we can progress with the battery energy storage project. It is a critical project for the country. We recognize that for any of the expansion of the renewables’ development this is absolutely critical," she said.
Liubomirova noted that ACWA Power through its end-to-end business model provides substantial value through its robust portfolio in battery storage, which is under operation, construction, and contracting stage of around six gigawatt hours around the world.
"Based on ACWA Power’s large expertise in developing, financing, constructing, and operating large-scale power projects, as well as providing grid frequency response, technical assistance, and best solutions in various countries, we are very happy to share that expertise with Azerbaijan. Main advantages of battery energy storage project are the following: to manage the renewables fluctuations and maintain the connection with neighboring grids within a short time frame and avoid curtailment," noted the Director of Business Development.
She went on to add that the fast-responding battery energy storage solutions are deployed around the world.
"And hence, in Azerbaijan – in most grids, including in Azerbaijan, adding battery energy storage solutions is economically prudent, as it can reduce the oil and gas, or in general, the fossil fuel consumption, which is otherwise used in providing ramp rate control of the renewables such as wind or PV generation to balance the grid. Currently we're working with the government to jointly proceed to the next stage of our project development," she concluded.
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