Elvira Kadyrova
Last week, one of the largest renewable energy facilities in the region, 230 MW Garadagh solar power plant was inaugurated in Azerbaijan.
The opening ceremony led by President Ilham Aliyev was attended by the Minister of Industry and Advanced Technologies of the UAE Sultan Ahmed Al-Jaber.
Garadagh solar power plant is the largest solar power plant in the Caspian region and the CIS, was built in a short time – a year and a half.
The project was implemented at the expense of foreign investments worth US $ 262 million, in particular by the UAE company Masdar. This is the first industrial-scale solar power plant built in Azerbaijan with the involvement of foreign investments, the press service of the President of Azerbaijan reports.
The project was also supported by the Abu Dhabi Development Fund, the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
Here are some technical features of the power plant:
- 570,000 solar panels are installed at the power plant, which occupies an area of 550 hectares.
- A 330 kilovolt substation connects this station to the grid.
- The project will provide electricity to more than 110,000 households
- The plant will produce 500 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year.
- This will save 110 million cubic meters of natural gas.
- At the same time, carbon dioxide emissions will be reduced by 200,000 tons
Garadagh Solar Power Plant is ‘only the beginning’
As President Aliyev noted at the opening ceremony, the Garadagh solar power plant project “is only the beginning.”
On the same day, Azerbaijan and Masdar signed three investment agreements, as a result of which Azerbaijan will be able to produce 1 GW of renewable energy. And in the long term, the projects will bring the production of green energy in the country to 10 GW
The signed investment deals include:
- Investment Agreement relating to Banka settlement of Neftchala district Solar PV Project in the Republic of Azerbaijan between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company – Masdar
- Investment Agreement relating to Bilasuvar district Solar PV Project in the Republic of Azerbaijan between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company – Masdar
- Investment Agreement relating to the Absheron-Garadagh region Onshore Wind Project in the Republic of Azerbaijan between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company – Masdar
“We have enjoyed a multibillion-dollar investment portfolio during the last three decades. Total investments in Azerbaijan were more than 300 billion US dollars and almost 200 billion US dollars in the non-oil sector. Our economic target is to continue diversifying our economy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels,” Ilham Aliyev said.
At the same time, the renewable energy agenda of Azerbaijan is not limited to solar or wind power plants. Karabakh, Eastern Zangezur and Nakhchivan have already been declared a green energy zone.
Saved gas will go to Europe
As President Ilham Aliyev stressed, investments will save a large amount of natural gas, which Azerbaijan currently used for electricity production and export.
“These investments will allow us to save a lot of natural gas, which we use now to produce electricity. And it’s several billion cubic meters of natural gas, which will be saved for export because the Azerbaijani gas is needed more than ever in Europe due to recent geopolitical changes. We have commissioned major transportation infrastructure on time, 3,500 kilometers gas pipeline from Caspian offshore fields to Europe. And that will be another contribution to the energy security of the broader region,” he stressed.
Caspian-EU Energy Corridor
The Azerbaijani President also mentioned the active work on the creation of the Caspian-European Union energy corridor.
“Last December, a corresponding agreement was signed. We have already started our activity. The steering committee has already gathered a couple of times. In several months, we will have a complete feasibility study of the new energy security project – Green Energy Corridor, integrated transmission production and consumption facilities, including the electric cable under the Black Sea. Currently, the feasibility study is being prepared for 4 gigawatts of renewables,” he said. ///nCa, 30 October 2023 [Photo credit – official website of President of Azerbaijan]
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