Azerbaijan identifying prospective directions for hydrogen production

"The use of wind energy potential of the Caspian Sea is included in our green energy package. In cooperation with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), work is underway to assess this potential and develop a road map," Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov said in an article, entitled "A new era of Azerbaijani energy begins in Karabakh and East Zangazur", published in the Respublika newspaper, dedicated to October 20 - Energy Day.

In his opinion, based on preliminary studies, the total technical potential of wind energy in the Azerbaijani section of the Caspian Sea is estimated at 157 GWh: “The exports of electricity from this potential at sea, as well as the production of green hydrogen, are prospects that will add value to the country's economy. In addition to the IFC, which is generally considered a key tool in the energy transition process, there is an exchange of experience with the UK's bp, KBR, as well as the UAE's Masdar and Norway's Equinor.

The minister said conducting analysis in cooperation with international companies, promising areas for hydrogen production in the country are being identified.

“These include the production of `green’ hydrogen by supplying electricity to electrolysis plants within the offshore wind energy project, and `blue’ hydrogen as a result of the application of carbon capture technologies associated with the production of natural gas at sea,” he added.

Parviz Shahbazov noted that their plans for the next five years include the creation of a new production capacity of at least 200 MW for HPPs and SHPPs, as well as an additional 10,000 kW of capacity connected to the network for active consumers.