Azerbaijan will continue being a reliable exporter of traditional energy sources to Europe but the South Caucasus nation plans to also advance the development of renewable energy projects, Azerbaijan’s Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov told NE Global in an interview.
“We are a traditional producer and exporter of fossil fuels and now we entering the new phase when we are going to produce also renewable sources of energy and, in accordance with the best practices we have had in the past, we’re discussing now and seeking for the ways to transport the surplus renewable sources of energy that we have in Azerbaijan,” Shahbazov said, speaking on the sidelines of the Astana International Forum on June 9.
“Azerbaijan processes onshore and offshore extremely huge amounts of renewable sources of energy and, of course, the more renewable sources of energy are used domestically, the more natural gas we have for export,” he added.
Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are actively exploring their green economy opportunities. “I think during the first phase, Kazakhstan and we in Azerbaijan, are trying to provide for the domestic demand and then there will be the issue of maybe working together also for the renewable energy sources energy exports,” Azerbaijan’s Energy Minister said in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana.
Shahbazov pointed out that Baku is working on a Black Sea electric cable between Romania, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. The cable would connect both sides of the Black Sea and run further towards the Caspian Sea region, reinforcing Europe’s security of supply by bringing electricity from renewable sources to Europe, via Romania and through Hungary.
Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan already launched the implementation of a high voltage cable project through the bottom of the Caspian Sea.
Earlier on June 9, during a panel discussion on “Regional development in renewable energy: alternative ways to ensure energy security” within the Astana International Forum, Shahbazov addressed regional energy cooperation with Kazakhstan’s Energy Minister Almassadam Satkaliyev and Uzbekistan’s Energy Minister Jurabek Mirzamakhmudov.
For his part, Shahbazov invited Kazakh companies to participate in green energy projects in Azerbaijan.
Satkaliyev noted that Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan already cooperate in the export of fossil fuels, noting that Kazakhstan uses Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and Baku-Supsa pipelines for its oil exports. Kazakhstan transports oil to the BTC pipeline by tankers across the Caspian Sea.
Shahbazov said Azerbaijan plans to double natural gas exports to Europe by 2027, telling NE Global that Baku wants to expand the Southern Gas Corridor, including the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) and the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) are underway, saying, “Of course, the Southern Gas Corridor is in our plan. We agreed with our European partners to expand the Southern Gas Corridor by 2027. We’re working in that direction”.
