BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 23. Azerbaijan currently consumes about 15 billion cubic meters of natural gas, and nearly one-third of this generates electricity, Deputy Minister of Energy Elnur Soltanov said during a roundtable event on the occasion of the International Clean Energy Day at ADA University, Trend reports.
He pointed out that Azerbaijan needs to take a few leaps in the realm of clean energy.
"The main issue here is undoubtedly related to technology and its cost. First of all, in some sectors, the appropriate technology does not yet exist, and we should view this as an exogenous factor. We are not among the countries that create technology, and we must accept this. This should not be considered a serious problem.
Therefore, these issues cannot be fully solved in the short term solely through our internal capabilities, even within the framework of the economic cooperation organization we are discussing today. Long-term strategic goals need to be defined in this direction," Soltanov explained.
The deputy minister pointed out that when it comes to clean energy, the crux of the matter lies in securing financial resources.
"Our region and the Economic Cooperation Organization can give a serious push to these processes.
The third important issue is cooperation in every sense. For example, Azerbaijan has a unique geographical location. We don't have access to the ocean, which creates certain limitations. However, the situation in electricity production is somewhat different.
We allocate approximately five billion cubic meters of gas solely for electricity production, which is more than the total annual gas consumption of some European countries. 'Greening' the electricity sector is not so difficult because the technologies exist. However, the main problem is energy storage systems.
These systems are very expensive, and without batteries, a full transition to solar and wind energy is impossible. Another alternative is to strengthen energy connections with neighboring countries. For example, this model is already being applied in the European Union, and it significantly facilitates the transition to green energy," he added.
A roundtable discussion and an award ceremony of the Clean Energy Center of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Clean Energy Hackathon 2026 are being held in Baku on the occasion of the International Clean Energy Day.
The event features a roundtable discussion and an award ceremony on the topic of transition to clean energy and regional cooperation models to accelerate the expansion of renewable energy.
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