Azerbaijan could save 400 mln cubic meters of gas per year on new hydro plants in Karabakh, Zangezur

BAKU. Sept 3 (Interfax) - The Azerbaijani authorities plan to save 350-400 million cubic meters of gas annually by commissioning hydroelectric power plants in Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur.

"To this day [for 2021-2024], 32 hydroelectric power plants with total capacity of 270 MW have been commissioned in Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur, and 492 million kWh of zero-emission electricity has been generated. Consequently, 110 million cubic meters of natural gas has been saved and the emission of 200,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide has been prevented," the president's website posted.

There are currently six smaller hydroelectric power plants under construction in the region with overall capacity of 37.5 MW. They should launch in the first half of 2025.

"These stations should generate over 110 million kWh of electricity, which could save over 24 million cubic meters of natural gas [per year], and prevent the emission of over 44,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere," the website posted.

The report also indicates that capacity at the hydroelectric power plants could attain 500 MW in the long term at Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur. The annual volume of generating electricity could reach 1.5-1.8 billion kWh, which could save 350-400 million cubic meters of natural gas per year, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions at 650,000-750,000 tonnes.

"By way of comparison, if the average annual output at hydroelectric power plants in other regions of Azerbaijan would be 1.2 billion kWh, then in Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur this figure could be 50% more," the government said.