Baku: President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, announced the country’s first Battery Energy Storage System during his speech at the official opening ceremony of the 240 MW ‘Khizi-Absheron’ Wind Power Plant. “Regarding future plans, considering that our renewable energy potential will significantly increase, we must create infrastructure to store this energy,” he stated.
According to Azeri-Press news agency, President Aliyev highlighted that the initial project, with a capacity of 250 megawatts, is being implemented by ‘Azerenerji’ using its own funds. He indicated that Azerbaijan’s expanding potential would necessitate an increase in the number of such storage systems and invited foreign investors to participate in the initiative.
He further elaborated on the country’s renewable energy ambitions, noting that contracts have been signed for wind and solar power plants with a total capacity of 6 gigawatts by 2030, and an overall capacity of 8 gigawatts by 2032. Including hydroelectric power plants, the country’s energy capacity is expected to grow further. Over the past five years, approximately 40 small hydroelectric power plants have been constructed in Garabagh and East Zangezur using public funds, boasting a total potential exceeding 300 megawatts.
A potential map for hydroelectric power stations in the liberated territories has been developed. In these regions, there are plans to build small hydroelectric power stations with capacities ranging from 500 to 600 megawatts. Nearly half of this capacity is already operational, with the entire country, including liberated territories, connected to a single grid to facilitate energy flow in any direction, emphasized President Aliyev.