Azernews.Az

By Ayya Lmahamad

President Ilham Aliyev has said that Azerbaijan plans to reconstruct five hydropower plants in its liberated lands in 2022.

He made the remarks speaking at a groundbreaking ceremony of the 230 MW Garadagh solar power plant to be built in Azerbaijan by the United Arab Emirates’ Masdar company.

“Last year, we restored four hydropower plants. Their total generation capacity is 20 MW. This year, there are plans to reconstruct five hydropower plants with a combined generation capacity of 27 MW,” he said.

Stating that these capacities are not very large compared to other stations, he noted that the number of these stations will be more than 30 in Kalbajar and Lachin regions alone, and these are hydropower plants.

“Of course, there is a greater potential for the creation of solar and wind power plants. I want to say again that the entire infrastructure has been created, internal lines have been modernized, many substations have been built, including seven in the liberated lands in just one year,” he said.

Moreover, noting that there is a great potential available in these territories, the president underlined that accurate calculations have already been made and the production of solar and wind energy can reach about 9,000-10,000 MW.

He noted that preliminary steps are already being taken, negotiations are underway with BP to build a solar power plant with a generation capacity of more than 200 MW.

The president also mentioned that during the 30 years of occupation, Armenia destroyed the entire infrastructure, all the buildings, historical and religious sites in the occupied lands.

“There are many documents, video and photo information confirming this. In particular, more than 30 hydropower plants have been destroyed in Kalbajar and Lachin regions, and we have already begun large-scale work in the liberated lands, including in the field of electricity,” he said.

Garadagh solar power plant

Speaking about the Garadagh solar power plant, Aliyev noted that this plant will meet the growing energy needs of the country and contribute to the expansion of export potential.

“I am very glad that this great project is being implemented by Masdar, a world-renowned company with extensive experience in this field,” he said.

Noting that Masdar represents Azerbaijan’s friendly country, the United Arab Emirates, he stated that the bilateral relations between the two countries are at a very high level.

The president noted that the two countries are successfully cooperating in political, economic and other fields, adding that the trade relations are also growing. Aliyev also added that there are ample opportunities in the field of tourism.

“In a nutshell, the relations between the United Arab Emirates and Azerbaijan have great prospects. I am glad that cooperation in the field of renewable energy production is starting today,” he said.

Foreign investment

Noting that Masdar’s investment in Azerbaijan is very commendable, he emphasized that this shows again that Azerbaijan is a very attractive country for foreign investment.

“Azerbaijan has a very good investment climate. At the same time, Azerbaijan is fulfilling all its obligations to foreign partners,” he said.

He noted that one of Azerbaijan’s main priorities is to attract major foreign investment to the country’s non-oil sector.

“Because over many years, $10 billion have been invested in the oil and gas sector. This has allowed us the opportunity to achieve what we want in the field of energy,” he said.

The president stressed that today, Azerbaijan is also an exporter of crude oil, natural gas, oil products and electricity, and has great potential in terms of electricity exports.

“We are already exporting to four neighboring countries, and I am confident that we will access other markets with our electricity in the future. With this in mind, the construction of each new station, as I said, increases our export potential,” he said.

Energy sector

Moreover, Aliyev underlined that very important steps have been taken in the energy sector since the beginning of this year.

In this regard, he recalled that in January, Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power laid the foundation for a 240 MW wind farm. In addition, a 385 MW power plant built by AzerEnergy was inaugurated in February.

“In other words, new generation capacities with a capacity of 855 MW are being created in less than three months. A capacity of 385 MW has already been created. I am confident that additional capacities will be included in our overall system in 2023, and this is just the beginning,” he said.

Stressing that the development of renewable energy is a priority for the country, he added that “we have been working to resolve this issue for many years, and today we are seeing tangible results”.

“In general, the existing stability in Azerbaijan, the economic development, our relations with neighboring countries, our transport, communications and close contacts with neighboring countries in terms of power lines have created a unique situation that Azerbaijan is not only a major producer of crude oil, oil products and natural gas but also a major producer and exporter of electricity,” he said.

He also noted that Azerbaijan produces electricity only from environmentally friendly sources, natural gas, water, solar and wind.

“I want to say again that the potential for renewable energy in Azerbaijan is enormous. That is why the world's leading energy companies are now very interested in cooperating with Azerbaijan in this area. I am confident that we will launch new projects in the near future,” he said.

Economic development

Aliyev noted that in the first two months of this year, the GDP increased by 6.7 percent, the non-oil sector by 10.1 percent and non-oil industrial production by about 21 percent.

He stressed that all these are achievements of the post-pandemic period and show that the reforms carried out in the country are truly commendable steps.

“I would like to add that Azerbaijan is one of a handful of countries of the world where foreign debt is very low – only $7.4 billion. If we want, we can repay this debt in one day,” he said.

The president also noted that the country’s policy is to ensure the further rapid development of the country and first of all, to restore the liberated lands.

“At the same time, we want to ensure the sustainable development of our country. It is an axiom that no country can develop without electricity. This is the first condition and it is the main condition,” he said.

He stated that Azerbaijan has rich oil and gas fields, noting that these fields are being successfully developed and operated.

“Taking into account all the investment interests, the business interests, I must also say that if there weren’t close and friendly relations between our countries, we probably would not have seen this project. So a combination of all these factors creates a wonderful opportunity. I think we are using this opportunity very effectively and we will continue to do so,” he said.

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