BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 1. Five different sites have been identified for a wind power project in the Caspian Sea, Director of the Azerbaijani State Agency for Renewable Energy Sources Javid Abdullayev told Trend in interview.
He articulated insights regarding the offshore wind energy initiatives.
“These projects imply access to large-scale markets. The total technical potential for wind energy in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea is estimated at 157 GW (35 GW in shallow waters and 122 GW in deep waters). Our peak domestic wind energy demand is around 4.5 GW. The planned installed capacity would exceed this figure more than twice, so each of these projects must be export-oriented, and for this, there must be an export route.
Stressing the importance of identifying an area for the offshore wind project as the first step, the agency head noted that this is much more challenging at sea compared to land.
"However, coordination with all relevant authorities has already been completed to select areas for offshore wind energy production. In the northern part of the Absheron Peninsula in the Caspian Sea, five different zones have been identified for offshore wind development. In these areas, it would be possible to build at least 10–15 GW of wind stations. They are currently awaiting official designation as renewable energy zones, and applications have already been submitted in this regard," he explained.
According to him, as the next step, the necessary onshore infrastructure must be established.
"The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) have allocated funds to support the analytical work for this purpose.
After installing the turbines at sea, a designated area will be needed to bring the electricity ashore. Another important issue is the large size of offshore wind turbines. There is now talk of experimental turbines with a capacity of 26 MW. Measurements of wind speeds at sea have already begun. Agreements with Chinese companies regarding these measurements are being finalized, and the process will start soon.
Currently, our biggest goal is to achieve significant progress in offshore wind energy projects. There is tremendous interest and intense competition in this area. That is, first, wind speeds must be measured at sea. Then, appropriate turbines must be selected based on that data. Finally, logistical solutions for transporting and installing the turbines must be developed," he added.
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