BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 5. The Shimal-2 power plant located in Baku produced 21.1 billion kWh of electricity from the date of its commissioning until September of this year.
This was announced in a statement from the Ministry of Energy.
According to the ministry, the Shimal-2 power plant was commissioned 7 years ago, on September 5, 2019.
The installed capacity of the steam-gas power plant is 400 MW.
Azerbaijan is implementing large-scale projects aimed at increasing electricity generation and diversifying its energy system. The development of renewable energy sources is a key priority of the country's energy strategy. Major investment projects to build solar and wind power plants are currently being implemented in Azerbaijan with bp, Masdar, ACWA Power, China Gezhouba Group Overseas Investment, SOCAR Green, and other partners.
As a result of these projects, thousands of megawatts of new generation capacity are expected to be added to Azerbaijan's energy mix in the coming years. This is expected to reduce domestic demand for natural gas and allow more gas to be exported.
According to Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov, the share of renewable energy sources in Azerbaijan's energy mix is expected to reach about 43% by 2035 as a result of these projects.
The minister said Azerbaijan is implementing strategic projects to establish a new energy and investment platform between Central Asia and neighboring regions. One of the key initiatives, he said, is the Central Asia-Azerbaijan Green Energy Corridor project.
"The creation of a Trans-Caspian energy corridor that will connect the electricity systems of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan is part of our countries' strategic vision," Shahbazov said. "This project also creates broad opportunities for developing the Middle Corridor, which will serve as a green energy bridge between Europe, Asia and China via the Caspian Sea."
According to the minister, the Green Corridor Alliance joint venture, based in Baku, is already operating and coordinating feasibility studies financed by the Asian Development Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
Meanwhile, intensive work is continuing on the Caspian-Black Sea-Europe Green Energy Corridor, as well as the Azerbaijan-Türkiye-Europe and Azerbaijan-Georgia-Türkiye-Bulgaria energy interconnectors.
Shahbazov said green energy corridors are "shaping the geoeconomic map of the future" and that the initiatives will not only promote energy exports but also stimulate the development of digital connectivity, fiber-optic infrastructure and regional economic cooperation.
