NAKHCHIVAN, Azerbaijan, February 13. Azerbaijan aims to see energy efficiency in real projects, Jahid Mikayilov, Head of the Energy Efficiency Department of the Ministry of Energy, said at an event on the Covenant of Mayors-Eastern Partnership (CoM East) initiative in Nakhchivan, Trend reports.
According to him, joining the Covenant of Mayors initiative can support many energy efficiency measures, such as reducing heating costs of administrative buildings, strengthening thermal insulation, optimizing energy consumption of social facilities, and switching to LED lighting systems.
"Energy efficiency is one of the main priorities of the energy policy implemented under the leadership of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.
The law 'On efficient use of energy resources and energy efficiency', adopted in 2021, has formed the institutional and legal framework in this area.
The work done in our country in the field of energy efficiency is multifaceted, and it's impossible to list them all, but a topic that may be especially interesting for our municipalities today is the establishment of the Energy Efficiency Fund.
Thus, our municipalities that have joined the Covenant of Mayors and approved their action plans can apply to this fund and implement pilot projects. Pilot projects can cover areas such as increasing the energy efficiency of buildings, insulation, improving heating systems, and the application of highly energy-efficient equipment, including the application of solar panels," he noted.
Mikayilov emphasized that 10 municipalities in Azerbaijan have already joined this initiative. "Many of them have Action Plans and are being implemented. The main goal of our event is to share these successful examples with our other municipalities. The municipalities of Shaki and Mingachevir will share their experience today.
As the Ministry of Energy, we are always ready to provide methodological and institutional support in this direction. Our goal is to see energy efficiency in real projects," he explained.
The official reminded that along with the Karabakh and East Zangezur economic regions, the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic has also been declared a green energy zone.
"Nakhchivan ranks first in our country in terms of the amount of sunlight falling on one square meter of land. Nakhchivan ranks first in both the investment capacity and production of green energy. Energy efficiency is also a type of green energy. Even the greenest energy is energy that is saved. Energy efficiency means economic benefits, environmental protection, and passing on a healthier environment to future generations.
You, as mayors, can also play a decisive role in this area.
I would also like to take this opportunity to invite you to join the 'Turn off and save!' initiative. This campaign was launched by the Ministry of Energy a few months ago. Energy saving is encouraged through simple behavioral changes, such as turning off lights when not in use and unplugging electrical appliances. Citizens are sharing video appeals, making calls, and this initiative is already turning into a public movement.
"Let's make energy efficiency a strategic priority and achieve real results through joint action," he added.
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