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Akbar Novruz

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A quiet revolution is blowing through Azerbaijan’s energy landscape, and it’s coming from the wind!

In August, Saudi energy company ACWA Power will start commissioning Azerbaijan's biggest wind power plant: the Khizi-Absheron wind farm, a 240 MW renewable energy project that's set to be completed by the end of 2025. The project is spread out among the villages of Chayli and Sitalchay in the Absheron and Khizi regions, and will feature 37 wind turbines—12 in Absheron, 25 in Khizi—and is projected to produce approximately 907 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. That's enough to power more than 300,000 Azerbaijani homes, all with clean, renewable wind.

This is not only a technical success—it is a strategic one. The Khizi-Absheron wind power plant is a 1.073 billion Saudi riyal, or approximately 486 million Azerbaijani manat (approx. 286 million USD), investment, and it conveys one unmistakable message: Azerbaijan is not only investing in renewable energy but is positioning itself as a green energy hub in the region. And Riyadh's involvement in this project is not merely commercial—it is a sign of growing strategic congruence in energy diversification between Azerbaijan and Gulf states.

But the wind farm is only half the story.

In parallel with this evolution, Azerbaijan also achieved another ambitious step: the launch of a Joint Venture under the "Azerbaijan-Central Asia Green Energy Corridor". The project, bringing together Azerenergy OJSC, the Electric Network Operating Company of Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan's National Electric Networks, formally established the Green Corridor Union LLC. Azerbaijan's Farhad Mammadov was appointed General Director of the new project, entrenching Baku's leading role in what can become Eurasia's most consequential renewable energy cooperation. The strategic underpinnings of the new project were laid at COP29 with the signing by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan of the "Agreement on Strategic Partnership in the Development and Transmission of Green Energy". This was accompanied by an Implementation Program between the energy ministries of the three countries and Saudi Arabia.

This is not merely a matter of kilowatts to share. It is a matter of remapping regional clout. In an age in which climate diplomacy is ever more connected with geopolitical sway, Azerbaijan is doing what most energy-abundant countries don't do: future-proofing its grid while making a push for global green economy clout.

Additionally, this project is coming at a time when energy security, sustainability, and resilience are today considered indivisible. By extending its hand in friendship and cooperation to Central Asian neighbors and Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan is building a corridor of trust, which can carry not only electricity but common development aspirations, investment streams, and global credibility.

And no doubt, this step vows to Azerbaijan's post-conflict boldness. Having restored its territorial integrity and with key global forums such as COP29 now within grasp, Baku is writing a story that goes beyond hydrocarbons. It is one of interlinked grids, green alliances, and long-term durability. In the global race for green leadership, Azerbaijan is no longer just participating—it is shaping the course. From the Khizi-Absheron wind turbines to trans-Caspian electric corridors, the wind is clearly blowing in Baku’s favor.