Baku, Beijing explore joint green energy research centre PHOTO

Azerbaijan and China have discussed plans to establish a joint research centre dedicated to the development of green energy, alongside wider cooperation in wind and solar power, both onshore and offshore.

According to Caliber.Az, Azerbaijan’s Energy Minister, Parviz Shahbazov, shared the update on his X page following the talks.

“We had a productive meeting with Lu Xu, Vice President of China Energy Engineering Corporation Limited, within our comprehensive strategic partnership in the energy sector,” Shahbazov said.

“We discussed priority projects, including the production and export of offshore and onshore wind and solar energy, the development of transmission networks, the establishment of the Joint Research Centre for the Development of Green Energy, and the supply of equipment for solar power plants with a total capacity of 760 MW."

According to Shahbazov, parties also reviewed the current status of cooperation and mapped out the next steps.

On June 3, Azerbaijan's Energy Ministry and China Energy Engineering Corporation Limited (CEEC) finalised an agreement on a comprehensive strategic partnership in the energy sector at Baku Energy Week.

"The document is aimed at expanding cooperation in the development of clean energy and modern energy systems in Azerbaijan and implementation of specific projects in this area," the ministry said in a press release.

The agreement calls for cooperation on the projects to build the 160 MW Fuzuli solar farm and a 200 MW wind farm in the Caspian Sea, as well as projects in hydropower and a green energy corridor.

Moreover, during the visit of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev to China, 6 documents on cooperation in the field of renewable energy were signed. 

These documents cover the construction of solar power plants with a total capacity of 260 MW, a 100 MW floating solar power plant, a 30 MW battery energy storage system, a 2 GW offshore wind energy project, the development of another 2 GW wind power project, as well as cooperation in the development of renewable energy sources and planning of the electric power system.

By Aghakazim Guliyev