Azerbaijan to build 90 renewable power plants in Karabakh, E. Zangezur by 2030

BAKU. June 16 (Interfax) - Azerbaijan plans to build 90 renewable power plants with combined capacity of 1.6 GW in Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur by 2030, Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov said.

"An exemplary model of energy efficiency is being implemented in Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur, which were declared a green energy zone by the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. In these areas, along with smart grids built from scratch, the introduction of advanced energy efficiency standards and the use of digital management infrastructure, there are plans to build 90 renewable energy stations with total capacity of 1.6 GW by 2030," Shahbazov said at the International Energy Agency's tenth annual Global Conference on Energy Efficiency in Brussels.

These plants will save up to 1 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 2 million tonnes, he said.

"In addition, green energy projects with combined capacity of 6.7 GW will be implemented by 2030, of which 2.7 GW are intended for Azerbaijan's energy system and 4 GW for export through the Caspian-Black Sea-Europe green energy corridor. Along with increasing the share of green energy in the installed capacity of the country's energy system to 38%, this capacity will prevent the consumption of a total of 4.4 bcm of natural gas," Shahbazov said.

He said Azerbaijan's priorities also include green energy interconnectors that will turn the country into an important supplier in Europe's energy transition and connect the Caspian Basin, Central Asia, Turkey and Europe.

Azerbaijan's energy system currently has installed capacity of a little more than 8 GW.