Masdar starts building Azerbaijan's biggest solar power plant, capacity 445 MW

BAKU. Aug 13 (Interfax) - UAE company Masdar has started building Azerbaijan's biggest solar power plant, capacity 445 MW.

"The Bilasuvar SPP's first solar panel support was installed under the Masdar project and construction in general began on August 12," the Bilasuvar district administration in southern Azerbaijan said on social media.

It said 1,454 hectares of and had been allocated for the plant.

The Bilasuvar SPP will make an important contribution to increasing the output of renewable energy in the country, increasing the share of clean energy in the energy mix and developing a green energy policy," the administration said.

The ground-breaking ceremonies for the Bilasuvar SPP with capacity of 445 MW and the 315 MW Neftchala SPP took place during the Baku Energy Week in June 2024. The plants are set to be commissioned in 2027 and will produce more than 1.7 billion kWh of electricity in total.

Launching the SPPs will lead to annual savings of 380 million cubic meters of natural gas and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 830,000 tonnes a year. The overall cost of the plants is $670 million.

Masdar is carrying out all these projects in cooperation with SOCAR Green, a division of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijani Republic (SOCAR) that holds a 25% stake in each project.

The Bilasuvar plant will generate 897 million kWh of electricity annually and supply power to 179,000 homes, saving 193 mcm of gas per year.