BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 29. Masdar, a global clean energy leader based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is ready to develop new projects as part of a 10-gigawatt renewable energy portfolio in Azerbaijan, Country Manager of Masdar Azerbaijan Murad Sadikhov said in an exclusive interview with Trend.
He highlighted that Masdar has signed two major implementation agreements with the government of Azerbaijan which cover the project portfolio.
“This 10-gigawatt portfolio includes 2-gigawatt onshore wind and 2-gigawatt solar projects plus 6-gigawatt offshore wind and green hydrogen. Out of this portfolio, we're now implementing 1 gigawatt, which covers three projects. We, together with the Ministry of Energy and other relevant organizations, have conducted a number of studies. The first study was related to identifying market opportunities for green energy.
We selected an international consultant to do the integrated marketing plan for the domestic and international opportunities of Azerbaijan in the green energy sphere. It was covering the mid-term and long-term period, as well as recommendations to the Ministry of Energy what needs to be done in order to maximize use of green energy and potentially accelerate the country’s energy transition,” said Sadikhov.
The Country Manager noted that another study focused on grid resilience and impact, covering not just Masdar’s specific projects but assessing the entire country’s power grid.
“We selected a very capable consultant, which together with Azerenergy conducted an integrated grid study and calculated the minimum capacity of the grid to actually connect new renewable energy projects,” he said.
Sadikhov noted that the projects aim to improve not only the ecological situation in the country, but also contribute to economic growth.
“Our Bilasuvar and Neftchala projects together will, for example, supply enough electricity to power over 135,000 homes and avoid more than 730,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.,” he added.
As for the timeline for full implementation of the 10-gigawatt portfolio, Sadikhov noted that Masdar has suggested that within a few years it is ready to create these capacities: “However, it's not only about the readiness of investors, it's also preparedness of the grid infrastructure as well as the market. There are a number of scenarios in terms of how this could happen.”
Sadikhov added that once the route to export green energy from Azerbaijan to Europe is ready, and Masdar and other investors would be willing to support.
“As part of this 10-gigawatt capacity, we have a number of smaller initiatives including export opportunities,” he explained.
Garadagh solar power plant
Sadikov noted that Masdar sees great potential in expanding the existing capacity of Garadagh solar power plant in Azerbaijan.
“Its peak capacity is 230 megawatts and it is working at full capacity. We have had certain consultations with the Ministry of Energy on expanding the power plant’s capacity. There are plenty of available land plots next to our plant site and we see good potential to increase the capacity.” he said.
Secondly, he explained, it is necessary to find a potential off-taker who will guarantee the energy will be bought.
“All these issues are being currently discussed. Once there is a possibility, I believe we can enjoy celebrating another phase of the project,” he added.
Sadikhov noted that the total volume of electricity generation by Garadagh solar power plant stood at 68.8 kilowatt-hours in June this year.
“This was the actual generation of Garadagh power plant so far in 2025. On July 9 we celebrated 800 million kilowatt-hours of green energy generated by the plant since its opening. This is a very big figure,” he said.
Talking about innovative technologies used at the plant, he noted that it consists of 570,000 solar panels, which are bifacial.
“It's a new technology that can generate power from the front side and back side of the solar panels. It is a tracking system, which follows the sun or the angle of the sun. It consists of 820 string inverters and all energy is exported to the Azerenergy network,” Sadikhov explained.
Masdar’s operational maintenance team is on the site to make sure everything is working correctly, he added.
“This is a long-term marathon when it comes to operating and maintaining a solar power plant. This is a power plant that needs to be operational 100% all the time. Therefore, Masdar has its own dedicated operational maintenance company, which is Masdar Specialized Technical Service Company (MSTS). We have more than 20 people on site with perfect experience to operate the site.”
Bilasuvar and Neftchala solar projects
“Masdar and SOCAR Green are developing three projects: Bilasuvar (445 megawatts) and Neftchala (315 megawatts) solar projects and Absheron-Garadagh wind project of 240 megawatts,” he said.
Sadikhov noted that pre-construction activities are underway for Bilasuvar and Neftchala solar projects.
“We have already selected an Engineering, Procurement and Construction contractor, which has already mobilized to the site, and completed pre-project studies,” he said.
Sadikhov noted that the plan for both Bilasuvar and Neftchala plants is to start first energization, meaning to connect to the grid and to start power production around mid-next year.
Absheron-Garadagh wind power plant
He noted that the company is proceeding with a wind measurement campaign for the Absheron-Garadagh wind power plant.
“We need to complete a 12-month measurement and this is due by the end of this year. After that we will start the process of selecting EPC contractor, with a target of starting construction activities around the beginning of 2026. It's subject to our completion of the project pre-development and engineering activities, but we aim to finish everything by the end of 2027,” Sadikhov concluded.