BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 1. As many as 12 wind turbines out of 25 have already been installed in Azerbaijan's Absheron district and nine (each with a capacity of 6.5 MW) in Khizi at the Khizi-Absheron Wind Power Plant (WPP), Director of the State Agency for Renewable Energy Sources Javid Abdullayev told Trend in an interview.
He noted that weather conditions play a major role in the installation of the turbines.
"In any case, all turbines are expected to be installed and the plant commissioned by the end of 2025.
At the same time, construction work on the 'Navahi' substation has begun. The 330 kV section of the 'Navahi' substation is being built by Azerbaijan, while the 500 kV section is being funded through a $173 million loan from the World Bank," he explained.
The director emphasized that the agency is in talks with manufacturers of solar and wind technologies to promote local production.
"Up to this point, the apparatus deployed in our photovoltaic
and wind energy facilities has leveraged technology originating
from China.
The advancement of these initiatives significantly amplifies the
engagement of manufacturers in Azerbaijan. We anticipate that,
contingent upon bilateral accords, whether in a comprehensive or
fractional capacity, certain technological innovations will be
generated domestically within the confines of Azerbaijan. The
paradigm of innovation extends beyond that point. Initiatives in
the educational domain within the renewable energy sector are
currently being executed. A strategic partnership is currently
being established between the Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry
University and a higher education institution in the UK.
That is, we are already moving towards a shift from foreign investment, foreign equipment, and foreign specialists to local contractors and technologies. Specialist training in this field is also being continued in Azerbaijan. Our contracts also require that if there is a specialist in Azerbaijan in some field, the participation of an Azerbaijani specialist in that project must be ensured.
We are trying to do our best to solve the issue of localization in the field of renewable energy. At the same time, equipment manufactured in Azerbaijan can also be exported to neighboring countries, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. These are very serious and complex issues," Abdullayev added.
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