"I remain very confident that Azerbaijan, as a great exporter of oil and gas, will also become a major exporter of green energy," Mohammad Abunayyan, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of ACWA Power, said at the official opening ceremony of the 240 MW "Khizi-Absheron" Wind Power Plant, constructed by Saudi Arabia's ACWA Power.
Mohammad Abunayyan, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of ACWA Power, said:
- Your Excellency,
I am very grateful and very honored to stand before you and to attend this very important ceremony under your leadership.
Mr. President, you know, Azerbaijan is very blessed to have you, your leadership, your vision, and an ability to execute that serves as the best example of how to reform, how to develop, and how to ensure a happier and better life for the people.
And everything that you have done in the past, everything that you have been able to accomplish and deliver for this great nation, is something from which many countries can learn. Among your many achievements is the area of green energy. I will also go back, with your permission, Mr. President, to your great opening remarks at COP29. When everyone else in the world was only talking about certain strategies and viewpoints, you explained to the whole world the best and only way to ensure a better future for everyone: to have the best energy combination. This includes conventional energy, which, as you said, is a great resource with which God has blessed Azerbaijan.
But it also includes green energy, another great blessing and resource for Azerbaijan. As you described in your speech at the opening of this ceremony, these great renewable resources of 150 gigawatts will be exported to the whole world from right here in Azerbaijan. Mr. President, the vision and the ecosystem you have established in your country, as you mentioned, have made it very easy and successful for every investor coming to Azerbaijan.
Your vision, your government, your policies, and your friendly relationship with every country in the world welcome all investors and ensure their success. That is the reason, as you have mentioned, that all of these past investments have come to Azerbaijan, and more will follow. Under your great leadership, you have made it a simple decision for anyone in the world to invest in Azerbaijan, because this great nation, its leaders, and its generous people make success easy to achieve. Mr. President, with your vision that you have launched the green energy and how you have been able to put this project in place, whether it is solar, or renewable, or the storage, as you have mentioned the future of green hydrogen and many other sources of green energy, I remain very confident that Azerbaijan, as a great exporter of oil and gas, will also become a major exporter of green energy.
Saudi Arabia under the great leadership of our king and our crown prince, our prime minister, they had a similar vision when it comes to green energy and how Saudi Arabia, being the biggest oil producer in the world, is also the biggest supporter of having green energy. We are very lucky in both countries, Mr. President, to have great leadership, because I think the lesson for the whole world today is all about leadership. That is what makes nations and people truly happy, allows countries to develop, and ensures this great level of success. Mr. President, we have come here to invest in our first project.
Despite all these challenges, including the Ukraine war and other obstacles, we have seen under your great leadership, Mr. President, how you made it possible for us to overcome them. Your government has worked hand-in-hand with us to achieve this success, which we are celebrating together because there has been a seamless partnership and working relationship. I really have to thank the Ministry of Energy and Azernerji, who have been key partners in making this happen. Under your great leadership, Mr. President, I also have to thank our partners, PowerChina, our lenders EBRD and the OPEC Fund, and others who really made this a reality.
I would like to thank the Azerbaijani companies who have also made a significant contribution to the supply chain, subcontracting, and other services they provided for us. We, as ACWA Power, under our great leader, His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz Bin Salman, our Minister of Energy, are committed to your vision and its implementation, Mr. President, to being your trusted partner forever. We are committed to delivering all the technology, capacity, and everything that will be needed and required for Azerbaijan’s strategy under your leadership, both inside and outside the country.
We have no limitations, no caps, and no constraints because we have great leaders from both countries. We are lucky, Mr. President, to be in Azerbaijan and lucky that you have trusted us to give us more opportunities and support – not only in green energy but also for the desalination plant, as you mentioned in your opening remarks. That will be the first landmark project in the Caspian Sea, and it will be a very unique project that many countries and nations will learn from.
Thanks to your vision, Mr. President, you are thinking about water security in a way few others do, despite all the water resources you have and are blessed with. You love your country and your people, and you are always ahead of everything. That is the reason you are thinking about challenges that many people overlook until a crisis occurs, such as a drought. Your vision is what made Azerbaijan what it is today.
Thanks to the founder – God bless him and grant him a place in heaven – but your leadership has been the best example in this region and to the world that when you want success, you must have a great leader who loves his country and his people. We are grateful and thankful for this opportunity to be with you at this event. Thanks to your support, Mr. President, we will have many successful events celebrating the partnership and success of Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan.
