Within Kazakhstan Energy Week, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazov participated in the opening ceremony of the event dedicated to Accelerating Renewable Energy in Central Asia, organized at the initiative of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), as well as in the Ministerial Roundtable on the Accelerated Partnership for Renewable Energy in Central Asia (APRECA).
In his speech, the Minister noted that the APRECA initiative, which promotes strong connectivity in the field of green energy between Central Asia and neighboring regions rich in renewable energy resources and Critical Materials, was first presented in Azerbaijan last year within COP29, and the Central Asia-Azerbaijan Green Energy Corridor is one of the projects contributing to this goal. It was noted that Azerbaijan is currently taking large-scale steps in the renewable energy sector, aiming to increase the share of renewables in its energy mix to approximately 40% by 2030. These efforts are also directed at building regional partnerships and implementing strategically significant projects. "Under the leadership of the President of the Republic of AzerbaijanmMr. Ilham Aliyev, the development of cooperation in the field of renewable energy occupies an important place in the policy of transforming Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and the Caspian region into a unified geopolitical space and strengthening strategic partnership and allied relations between our countries. The creation of the Trans - Caspian Green Energy Corridor, which will connect the electricity systems of our countries for the first time in history, is fully consistent with the main priorities of this policy and opens up wide opportunities for the development of the Middle Corridor connecting Europe with Asia and China through the Caspian Sea as a green bridge" the Minister added.
It was noted that with the support of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the development of the feasibility study of the project will begin in near future. Information was provided on other major initiatives such as Caspian–Black Sea–Europe Green Energy Corridor, the Azerbaijan–Türkiye–Europe corridor, and the Azerbaijan–Georgia–Türkiye–Bulgaria corridor on various routes. The integration of the Central Asia–Azerbaijan Green Energy Corridor with these projects is expected to direct the region’s vast renewable energy potential to Turkish and European markets, coordinate intercontinental production and consumption centers, and manage energy volatility. It was also emphasized that the interconnectors, including fiber-optic components, developed as part of the Trans-Caspian Green Energy Corridor, will enhance not only energy and environmental security but also digital and transport links, further increasing the geostrategic importance of our countries along the Middle Corridor.
At the Ministerial Round Table, issues of modernization of networks for the rapid development of renewable energy, construction of reliable energy storage systems, expansion of investment opportunities, provision of supply chains, as well as the creation of interregional interconnectors were discussed. The projects and plans implemented by Azerbaijan in this direction were brought to attention, cooperation opportunities through APRECA were evaluated.
