Azernews.Az

Qabil Ashirov

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Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR plans to replace gas turbines with electric compressors at its offshore facilities as part of efforts to improve energy efficiency and advance electrification.

SOCAR Vice President Afghan Isayev made the remarks during Baku Climate Action Week 2026 (BCAW 2026).

“We are grateful to the Ministry of Energy and our transmission system operator, which is leading this initiative. We have reached an agreement with them on a special energy-swapping arrangement. This will help us with the electrification process,” Isayev said.

He noted that a new substation had been constructed specifically for this purpose, with the full support of the government, partners and the transmission system operator.

“A ceremony to supply first power to this facility will be held next year. This is only the beginning. After that, in close cooperation with the technical operator, we will connect our offshore facilities to one another by cable, remove the gas turbines and replace them with electrical equipment, such as electrically driven compressors,” Isayev said.

He added that companies including GE and Baker Hughes are already manufacturing electric compressors, while SOCAR also has plans to use such equipment at future central compressor stations.

“Energy efficiency is extremely important today,” Isayev said, stressing that the electrification process should proceed in parallel with the development of renewable energy generation.

According to the SOCAR vice president, the company will work with its partners to develop facilities capable of operating around the clock.

“The goal here is to ensure a continuous 24-hour energy supply from renewable sources in combination with battery energy storage systems,” he said.

The planned transition from gas turbines to electrically driven equipment is expected to support the electrification of SOCAR’s offshore operations while reducing reliance on gas-fired equipment and improving energy efficiency.