Azerbaijan plans to export 5 gigawatts of clean electricity to Europe annually

Azerbaijan plans to export 5 gigawatts of clean electricity to Europe annually, Ashraf Shikhaliyev, head of the International Cooperation Department at the Ministry of Energy, said at the event titled "Tripling Renewable Energy by 2030: Foundation for Rapid Renewable Energy Development in Central Asia," organized within COP29, Report informs.

According to Shikhaliyev, Uzbekistan plans to export 5 gigawatts of electricity, and Kazakhstan plans to export 5-7 gigawatts: "This strategic approach is considered an important step towards making Central Asia and Azerbaijan key players in the global energy transition."

Shikhaliyev believes that mega-projects attracting investors' attention are important for achieving ambitious renewable energy goals.

"Unlike low-income projects, investors prefer large and reliable projects. The Azerbaijani government is developing large-scale projects in this regard, such as installing wind power plants in the Caspian Sea and transmitting the energy produced at these stations to Romania and Hungary via underwater cable through the Black Sea. Thus, clean energy will be supplied directly from wind stations in the Caspian Sea to European countries," he said.

Shikhaliyev emphasized that these projects aim to connect Europe with Central Asia energetically: "This year, the development of the technical and economic basis for the project to connect the electrical systems of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Azerbaijan will begin. Under the project, energy will be supplied from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan via underwater cable through the Caspian Sea, and from there to Europe. Additionally, Azerbaijan has another energy corridor to Europe through Türkiye."

He added that these projects will bring the renewable energy potential of both Azerbaijan and Central Asian countries to the global market.