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Nazrin Abdul

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Azerbaijan’s Minister of Energy, Parviz Shahbazov, participated in the opening ceremony of the event titled “Accelerating Renewable Energy in Central Asia” held during Kazakhstan Energy Week, organized by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). He also took part in the Ministerial Roundtable on the Accelerated Partnership for Renewables in Central Asia (APRECA), Azernews reports.

In his speech, Shahbazov noted that the APRECA initiative, first launched in Azerbaijan during COP29, promotes deeper cooperation between Central Asia and neighboring regions in the field of renewable energy and critical raw materials. He highlighted the Central Asia–Azerbaijan Green Energy Corridor as a key project contributing to this effort. Azerbaijan is aiming to increase the share of renewables in its energy mix to 40% by 2030 while strengthening regional partnerships and implementing strategic energy infrastructure. He emphasized that President Ilham Aliyev’s policy of integrating Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and the Caspian region into a single geopolitical space prioritizes renewable energy collaboration. The Trans-Caspian Green Energy Corridor, set to interconnect national electricity systems for the first time, fully supports this vision and opens new opportunities to develop the Middle Corridor as a green energy route linking Asia and Europe via the Caspian Sea.

Shahbazov also announced that with support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), work on the project’s feasibility study will begin shortly. He provided updates on related initiatives, including the Caspian–Black Sea–Europe corridor, as well as the Azerbaijan–Turkiye–Europe and Azerbaijan–Georgia–Turkiye–Bulgaria green energy routes. These integrated corridors aim to direct the region’s renewable energy to Turkish and European markets, improve energy flow between continents, and enhance energy security. The interconnectors, equipped with fiber-optic components, will also support digital and transport connectivity, further raising the geostrategic importance of the Middle Corridor.

At the Ministerial Roundtable, participants discussed accelerating renewable energy development through modernizing power grids, building energy storage systems, securing investments and supply chains, and developing cross-border infrastructure. Azerbaijan’s projects and future plans were presented, and cooperation opportunities through the APRECA platform were explored.