On October 20, 1981, on the initiative and under the leadership of the Great Leader Heydar Aliyev, a new stage in the development of Azerbaijani energy was laid, with the commissioning of the first power unit of the “Azerbaijan” TPP – the largest power plant in the South Caucasus region.  By the Order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, No. 446 dated October 13, 2004, that date was established in our country as the “Power Engineers’ Day”. Establishment of the Power Engineer’s Day is an expression of the great importance that the leadership of our country attaches to the selfless labour of people working in this sphere.

The energy policy defined by the Great Leader and successfully implemented at present by President Ilham Aliyev not only logically complements the work done in this field during the Soviet era and the years of independence, but also ensures the development of the electricity system in line with modern global trends. Azerbaijan is one of the rare countries in the world that has managed to achieve 100 per cent energy security at the expense of its own potential.

As it is known, there are two types of energy sources on Earth: renewable and non-renewable. Azerbaijan is one of the countries with high potential for utilisation of renewable energy sources. Thus, the potential of renewable energy sources economically feasible and technically possible for use in our country is highly estimated in terms of wind energy, solar energy, bioenergy potential, and the potential of mountain rivers.

One of the main objectives of the energy security policy implemented under the leadership of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev is to strengthen the use of renewable energy sources in our country. And one of the main steps taken to effectively use the potential of renewable energy sources in our country was the adoption of the “State Programme on the Use of Alternative and Renewable Energy Sources in the Republic of Azerbaijan” in 2004.

According to the Decrees of the Head of State “On the acceleration of reforms in the energy sector of the Republic of Azerbaijan” (dated May 29, 2019),  “On measures for implementation of pilot projects using renewable energy sources” (dated to December 5, 2019), and in accordance with the Decree of 22 September 2020, the establishment of the State Agency for Renewable Energy Sources under the Ministry of Energy would provide a high level of guarantees for fundamental changes in the energy sector. By 2030, by creating 1,500 megawatts of additional capacity from renewable energy sources, the share of renewable energy in the installed capacity of electricity should reach 30 per cent. In one of the first successful steps in the realization of this new strategic line defined in the energy sector, ACWA Power from Saudi Arabia and Masdar from the United Arab Emirates were among the 7 international companies that made offers according to the current wholesale prices in January 2022. Agreements were signed for pilot projects for 240 MW of wind power and 200 MW of solar power. These wind and solar power plants with a capacity of 440 megawatts will be built with a total foreign investment of about 400 million US dollars. This project will be the first in the field of renewable energy in our country and will become an example for attracting investors in other projects. These plants are expected to generate about 1.4 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, save more than 300 million cubic metres of natural gas, reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 600,000 tonnes and create new jobs.

The Ministry of Energy is co-operating with the International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, to prepare a “Roadmap for the use of offshore wind energy in Azerbaijan” to examine and strengthen the capacity of wind energy in the Caspian Sea and coastal areas. For this purpose, a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the use of offshore wind energy was signed between the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the World Bank Group. The work under the Memorandum of Understanding is being carried out within the framework of IFC's Offshore Wind Energy Development Program. The process of preparing a “Roadmap for the use of offshore wind energy in Azerbaijan” includes the preparation of geographical maps, zoning, economic, financial, environmental, and social analysis, impact assessment, issuance of permits and approvals, improvement of the regulatory framework, re-transmission network construction and supply chain studies.

At the same time, the tasks of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran on the continuation of construction, operation, and cooperation in the use of energy and water resources, the continuation of the construction of HPPs “Khudaferin” and “Giz Galasi” on the Araz River are being gradually fulfilled.

One of the promising projects for export to Europe, supported by the European Union, is the Black Sea submarine power and digital connectivity project, laying a 1,195 km power transmission line and a digital interconnection cable between Georgia and Romania with an energy transmission capacity of 1,000 MW. For this, with financial support from the World Bank, it is planned to prepare a feasibility study by the end of 2023.

The establishment of a quadripartite co-operation format between Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania, and Hungary is aimed at diversifying Azerbaijan’s electricity market, expanding its role as a supplier and strengthening Caspian Sea integration with the Black Sea and Europe by making Azerbaijan a green energy corridor.

Armenia’s aggressive stance has been the main source of danger threatening the future of the South Caucasus for many years. Having turned terrorism into a State policy, Armenia is constantly targeting the Azerbaijan thermal power plant, considered the largest thermal power plant in the South Caucasus and playing a historic key role for the energy sector, and the Mingachevir hydroelectric power plant, the largest hydroelectric power plant in our country. At the same time, the shelling of our population centers is accompanied by the targeting of electrical installations and electric power transmission lines.

Green energy projects are favoured in the construction works of the territories liberated from occupation. On 3 May 2021, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed an order on measures to establish a Green Energy Zone in the liberated territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan. To ensure the implementation of the Order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, special funds have been allocated to the Ministry of Energy.

Several substations have already been opened during President Ilham Aliyev’s visits to the liberated territories. Thus, just a few months after the end of the Patriotic War, the Gulaberd hydroelectric power station, the Shusha, Fuzuli and Shukurbeyli substations, which constitute the main links of the Karabakh power chain, and the Jabrail substation in the Jabrail district, were built. At the same time, the small hydroelectric power plants “Sugovushan-1” and “Sugovushan-2” were inaugurated in Terter after reconstruction. The Jebrail substation will primarily supply electricity to the military facilities located in the area, to the newly created social and economic infrastructure facilities, as well as to the town of Jabrail and all villages in the district.

Azerbaijan is currently preparing various new energy-related projects. In parallel, work is being carried out to increase the capacity of old power plants. All this should be assessed because of the multifaceted development policy pursued by the country’s leadership and the current realities created by the hard and honourable work of Azerbaijan’s power engineers.

Recommended literature:

1. Azərbaycanın enerji siyasəti Qərb mətbuatında / Azərbaycan Respublikasının Nazirlər Kabineti yanında Tərcümə Mərkəzi ; tərc.: C. Agayev, Ş. Ələsgərov ; red.: B. Abbasov, A. Eyvazov. - Bakı : Azərbaycan Tərcümə Mərkəzi, 2015. - 288 s.
2. Yaşıl inkişaf : enerji səmərəliliyi və alternativ mənbələr / V. Ə. Qasımlı [et al.] ; ön sözün müəl. U. K. Ələkbərov ; Azərbaycan Respublikasının Prezidenti yanında Strateji Araşdırmalar Mərkəzi. - Bakı : n. y., 2014. - 144 s.
3. Qonaqov, Rufiz Rəhim oğlu. Xəzər hövzəsi və enerji təhlükəsizliyi / R. R. Qonaqov ; elmi red. Ə. M. Həsənov ; Azərbaycan Respublikasının Prezidenti yanında Dövlət İdarəçilik Akademiyası. - Bakı : Elm, 2018. - 200 s.
4. Yusifbəyli, Nurəli Adil oğlu. Enerji: keçmiş və gələcək vektorların kəsişməsində / N. A. Yusifbəyli ; elmi red. M. Ağamalıyev ; Azərbaycan Dövlət Neft və Sənaye Universiteti. - Bakı : ADNSU, 2022. - 240 s.
5. Əliyev, Natiq Ağaəmi oğlu. Neft sənayesinin intibah dövrü /N. A. Əliyev ; burax. məs. R. Məmmədov, A. Mənsimli ; Azərb. Resp. Sənaye və Energetika Nazirliyi. - Bakı: Qanun, 2013. - 119 s.
6. Əliyev, Natiq Ağaəmi oğlu. Azərbaycan neft və qaz sənayesi XXI əsrin astanasında = Azerbaijan oil and gas industry on the eve of the XXI century / N. A. Əliyev, X. B. Yusifzadə, E. Şahbazov ; Azərbaycan Respublikasının Dövlət Neft Şirkəti. - Bakı : EksonMobil, 2009. - 70 s.