Minister: Azerbaijan working to increase renewable energy production capacity

Azerbaijan is an energy country that traditionally produces oil and gas, and work is underway to increase the production capacity of renewable energy, Azerbaijani Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov said at a panel discussion on energy security within the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, Report informs.

The minister noted that Azerbaijan contributes to the production of electricity both in the region and in the international arena: “Therefore, Azerbaijan is always active in world energy organizations. Today, at the forum in Antalya, the existing energy problems were discussed in detail. The relevance of regional and international energy projects being implemented by Azerbaijan, in particular, the Southern Gas Corridor, was noted.”

Shahbazov added that the development of the SGC project, increasing its capacity and potential will be one of the most important areas for the near future: “Two days ago, during a visit to Ankara, President Ilham Aliyev met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. An agreement was reached on the further active development of energy cooperation between the two countries. Therefore, we will continue to work in this direction.”

Azerbaijan intends to increase the share of renewable energy sources to 30% in total energy production by 2030. Today, taking into account the hydropower plants of Azerbaijan, this figure is about 17%. The share of solar and wind power in this indicator is up to 2%.