Wind Energy

Azerbaijan intends to develop wind power

On 14 March 2012 the Delegation of the European Union and the State Agency for the Renewable and Alternative Energy organized in Baku a workshop dedicated to the development of the wind energy.

During the workshop a general overview of the renewable energy sector developments in the EU and Azerbaijan was presented and discussions were organized focusing on the specific topics such as economic incentives, funding mechanisms, administrative procedures for the approval of wind turbines projects and grid access and planning. A new INOGATE project, with an important component focusing on the renewable energy and energy efficiency was also presented.

‘This conference has been organized to better understand each-other’s – EU and Azerbaijan’s activities and plans in the field of renewable and especially wind power and to identify all the possible crossings where we can cooperate: from investment to technology, from regulatory aspects to industrial partnerships and infrastructure’, said Jerome Pons, Chargé d’Affaires of the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The speakers at the event included representatives of the State Agency for Renewable and Alternative Energy Sources, the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Azerbaijan, European Commission, UNDP, the European Wind Energy Association and the European Network of Transmission Operators. The workshop was organized as one of the means to further implement the Memorandum of Understanding in the field of energy between the EU and Azerbaijan.

On 15 March the representatives of the European Commission and the European Network of Transmission Operators finished their two days’ mission to Azerbaijan by visiting the experimental renewable energy centre located in Gobustan and operated by the State Agency for the Renewable and Alternative Energy of Azerbaijan.

Background: The EU-Azerbaijan Memorandum of Understanding in the field of energy was signed by President Ilham Aliyev and President Jose Manuel Barroso in 2006. The document provides for 4 areas for cooperation: security of energy supply, legal approximation, exchange of expertise and development of the renewable energy sources. The latter has been recently endorsed by President Aliyev with the decree for the preparation of the national strategy for the development of the renewable energy sources 2012-2020. This decree complements the Azerbaijani government’s efforts which are supported by the EU funded Energy Reform Support Programme, with a budget of €14M.

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