BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. Azerbaijan needs to significantly expand its solar and wind power capacity, Economic Affairs Officer in the Energy Division of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Anis Zaman, said on Wednesday at the 9th Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Dialogue taking place in Baku, Trend's correspondent reports from the event.
According to him, the Roadmap for Achieving SDG 7 calls for
improving energy efficiency across all sectors of Azerbaijan’s
economy, expanding renewable energy capacity, and developing a
green energy corridor.
“The roadmap was developed to assist the Azerbaijani government in identifying the technological solutions and public policy measures necessary to achieve SDG 7. In addition, the document aims to explore opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2035 compared to 1990 levels, as well as to promote Azerbaijan as a regional hub for clean energy through the development of the Green Energy Corridor,” he said.
Zaman noted that the roadmap outlines technical solutions to ensure universal access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable modern energy services. The document also calls for aligning the development of the energy sector with the country’s climate commitments and economic diversification goals.
According to him, the recommendations cover not only the achievement of SDG 7 and the reduction of emissions, but also the strengthening of energy security, the enhancement of economic competitiveness, and the creation of new opportunities for economic growth through the development of clean energy.
“Large-scale development of renewable energy, particularly solar and wind, is necessary. Given Azerbaijan’s significant potential in this area, especially in the Caspian region, the roadmap calls for a substantial increase in relevant capacity to reduce dependence on fossil-fuel-based electricity generation,” Zaman noted.
He also reported that several major renewable energy projects are already being planned in Azerbaijan.
The 9th SDG Dialogue is taking place in Baku. The event is organized jointly by the Ministry of Economy of Azerbaijan, the National Coordination Council for Sustainable Development, and the United Nations (UN).
The theme of the event is “Accelerating the NDC3.0: Advancing Energy Sector Decarbonization for Sustainable Development.”
The dialogue covers issues related to Azerbaijan’s fulfillment of its national climate commitments, the green transition of the energy sector, the development of renewable energy sources, and investment opportunities in this field.
