Nazrin Abdul, AZERNEWS
Climate change is one of the global issues of concern to the world and has now become an undeniable reality before all countries. The use of fossil fuels has become widespread, resulting in increasing amounts of greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere and increasing global temperatures.
For these reasons, it can be said that holding COP29, the world's largest event, is not a one-sided issue. The international community and the countries of the world have a major responsibility when it comes to climate change issues.
Azerbaijan's hosting of COP29 can be considered the most important event of 2024 and a logical continuation of the country's strategy of transitioning to a green economy. The declaration of 2024 in our country as the “Year of Solidarity in the Green World” by the President of Azerbaijan confirms the value attached to this mission.
The next reality of energy policy in Azerbaijan, which is rich in alternative energy resources, concerns the development of “green energy”. The strategic basis of the renewable energy production policy is the “Azerbaijan 2030: National Priorities of Socio-economic Development” defined by the country and adopted in February 2021. A clean environment and “green growth”, one of the five national priorities, sets new goals for the country's priorities.
Furthermore, the “Socio-economic development strategy of the Republic of Azerbaijan from 2022 to 2026” envisages increasing the share of renewable energy sources in electricity production to 24% by 2026 and 30% by 2030. ing.
The work we have done and the goals we have set show that this country is not content with just promises, but is delivering concrete results through strategic environmental decisions. The country proves its importance to the green energy economy through practical activities. Therefore, Azerbaijan aimed to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases by 35 percent by 2030 and 40 percent by 2050 compared to 1990.
Despite its name being closely associated with oil, Azerbaijan is a leader in implementing green energy transition approaches in the region and has made significant contributions to combating the effects of climate change.
Azerbaijan is taking practical steps to combat climate change and the ecological well-being of the planet. One of the main priorities in the reconstruction of liberated territories is ecological restoration and environmental protection. As Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said, Karabakh will become a “green energy” zone.
In accordance with the priorities of the country's socio-economic development, more attention will be paid to the use of renewable energy sources and the expansion of the application of “green” technologies in the current and future periods.
Renewable energy projects with a capacity of 7 GW will be implemented in Azerbaijan by 2030, of which 5 GW will be exported.
In this direction, Azerbaijan is currently implementing a 240MW wind farm project in cooperation with ACWA Power, a reputed company of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the field of renewable energy.
Thus, in 2022, a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the field of offshore wind energy was signed between the Ministry of Energy of Azerbaijan and the ACWA Power Company of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
This memorandum envisages cooperation in determining the main principles of cooperation in the field of offshore wind energy in Azerbaijan, assessing the possibilities and creating conditions for profitable investment in renewable energy projects.
According to the memorandum, on January 13, 2022, the groundbreaking ceremony for the Hiji Absheron wind power plant was held in Azerbaijan by ACWA Power Company.
It should be noted that “Pheasant Absheron” KES will be the largest power plant in the renewable energy sector of Azerbaijan with a capacity of 240 MW.
The wind farm is reported to be operational in 2025. By producing 1 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, approximately 220 million cubic meters of natural gas will be saved and more than 400,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions will be prevented. released into the atmosphere.
Within the framework of the work to be carried out in this field, camera surveys are underway across the country with a view to identifying and prioritizing areas with potential for renewable energy sources.
In addition to consuming and exporting traditional energy resources, Azerbaijan attaches great importance to renewable energy due to its high potential.
It should be noted that Azerbaijan is one of the countries with high potential for renewable energy sources. According to calculations, the technical potential of renewable energy sources in our country is 135 GW on land and 157 GW at sea.
The economic potential of renewable energy sources is 27 gigawatts, of which wind energy is 3,000 megawatts, solar energy is 23,000 megawatts and bioenergy is 380 megawatts. The mountain river's potential is estimated at 520 megawatts.
Azerbaijan already has experience in using wind energy, and interest in this field is growing. Considering the environment, economic infrastructure and geographical location, Azerbaijan's wind energy potential is estimated at 800 MW.
Making the most of this energy saves 20% of the energy currently produced.
It should also be noted that the Absheron Peninsula, the Caspian Sea coastal region and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic are particularly advantageous when it comes to wind power generation. At the same time, based on preliminary studies, the technical potential of wind energy in the mountainous areas of Lachin and Kalbajar was found to be 2000 MW.
According to preliminary estimates, this energy resource is approximately 2.4 billion. kW/s means electric power. This will cost 0.8 million. Tons means saving fuel.
In recent years, large amounts of investment have been made in the development and restoration of energy infrastructure. In particular, interest in the field of alternative energy is rapidly increasing.
Last year's commissioning of the Galadag Solar Energy Plant (GES) marked the beginning of a new stage. Garadar HPP is the first power plant built at the expense of foreign investment in our country. Therefore, the station project will be implemented in cooperation with the prestigious “Masdar” company from the United Arab Emirates.
The 230 MW solar power plant was officially commissioned on October 26, 2023. Galadag solar power plant is the largest solar power plant in the Caspian region and the CIS. This station was built with foreign investment worth US$262 million.
By producing 500 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, the plant will save 110 million cubic meters of natural gas. This will reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere by 200,000 tonnes. The transition to green energy also demonstrates the country's commitment to carbon emissions obligations. According to the pledge, Azerbaijan must reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2050 and create “zero-emission” zones in territories liberated from occupation. As you can see, serious measures are already being taken in this direction.
In the field of renewable energy in Azerbaijan, we have implemented the Yashma power plant construction project, turning Nakhchivan, along with Garabagh and East Zangazur, into a green energy zone (construction of a 500 MW solar power plant is being considered), and 240 MW of solar power generation. Build a place. Jabrail power plant, where the British company BP acts as a direct foreign investor. We are planning to start up a solar power plant.
One of the importance of the Shafaq solar power plant, an energy facility to be built with BP, is that it will be built in an area liberated from occupation. It is known that President Ilham Aliyev declared these territories (10,000 square kilometers) a “green energy” zone immediately after the victory in the 44-day Patriotic War. Therefore, the construction of “Shafaq” will play an important role in the realization of this goal and will be part of the large-scale construction that will take place in Garabagh and eastern Zangazur.
At the same time, it is planned to implement SOCAR's project to connect electrical cables to offshore platforms in order to reduce the use of natural gas in domestic enterprises, as well as to build submarine cables through the bottom of the Black Sea to transport green energy. It is. We deliver energy from Azerbaijan to Europe.
“SOCAR Green” LLC will soon implement several important projects. Therefore, in the initial stage of the “mega” project, the “SOCAR Green” and “Masdar” companies plan to implement 1 GW of wind and solar energy projects on land. “SOCAR Green'' will also cooperate with “ACWA Power'', “Masdar'' and “Energy China'' to implement solar and wind energy projects in the Autonomous Republic of Nakhchivan. Let us emphasize that Nakhchivan has been declared a “green energy” zone due to the abundance of resources in the aforementioned region.
At the same time, research is being carried out on transporting hydrogen to the European market via the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). In particular, the construction requirements for the equipment needed to transport a mixture of natural gas and hydrogen through the TAP pipeline are being considered. At the same time, discussions are taking place on promising hydrogen production technologies in collaboration with international companies such as bp, KBR (UK), Masdar (UAE) and Equinor (Norway).
It should be recalled that on December 17, 2022, in Bucharest, the “Agreement on Strategic Partnership in the Field of Green Energy Development and Transmission” was signed between Azerbaijan, Georgia, Hungary and Romania. The agreement envisages laying 1,100 kilometers of undersea cables under the Black Sea as the main route for supplying “green energy” to Europe. According to the agreement, 4 gigawatts of green energy will be exported to Europe in the initial stage. In other words, Azerbaijan aimed to build a “green energy” bridge to Europe.
Azerbaijan's green energy strategy is multifaceted and takes into account all risks. Azerbaijan, the leading country in the region in terms of energy resources, will also maintain its position in the field of green energy. This is a well-thought-out, forward-looking energy policy. These projects are of great value both in protecting the environment, providing economic power and increasing the overall level of development.
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