Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazov spoke in New York at a session on “Closing the energy access gap and transitioning to decarbonised energy systems”, held as part of the UN General Assembly’s Sustainability Week.
In his remarks he stressed that COP29, to be hosted by Azerbaijan, would be an important platform for expanding international cooperation on a just, orderly and equitable energy transition, and for accelerating the growth of renewable energy and energy efficiency and the deployment of net-zero emission energy systems. It was noted that Azerbaijan, regarded by the European Union as a reliable pan-European supplier, is now leading initiatives that speed up the transition to green energy, and supports the fight against climate change by joining the Global Methane Pledge and establishing an Energy Efficiency Fund.
Renewable energy, which meets the requirements of energy security, accessibility and sustainability, was described as the main driving force behind the “clean environment” and “green growth” priority of the national development strategy to 2030 set by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and as a new source that strengthens the country’s position in energy supply. The minister said that Azerbaijan, which aims to be a leading country in this field, is cooperating with international energy companies on the phased implementation, by 2037, of 28 GW of green energy, hydrogen and green ammonia projects, and is currently integrating into the power system 2 GW of green energy capacity that will raise the share of renewables in installed electricity capacity to 33%.
“Within this framework, construction of five more solar and wind power plants with a total capacity of 1,300 MW will begin this year. In parallel, important steps are being taken to create the Caspian–Black Sea–Europe and Azerbaijan–Türkiye–Europe green energy corridors for the export of 5 GW of green electricity and green gases at the initial stage, as well as the Azerbaijan–Central Asia–Europe corridor, which will carry green energy from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.”
Minister Parviz Shahbazov said that Azerbaijan’s approach to renewable energy development — in the context of post-conflict reconstruction as well as the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development — has also given impetus to the creation of green energy zones in the liberated territories. “Turning Karabakh and East Zangezur, as well as Nakhchivan, into green energy zones is an important part of the path that leads our country towards a net-zero emission energy system.” “We believe that our work on green energy and our COP29 presidency will not only strengthen our cooperation with the UN but also make a worthy contribution to the current process — one of the greatest global economic transformations of our time — and bring us closer to our global goals,” the minister added.