11:49 - 20.10.2026

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October 20, Fineko/abc.az. Over the past year, Azerbaijan's power grid capacity expanded by 1,540 MVA to reach 31,429.9 MVA. As Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazov noted in his article titled "Energy Policy of Modern Azerbaijan: From National Energy Security to Global Energy Partnership" published in the "Azerbaijan" newspaper, the share of renewable energy in the total 21.2 billion kWh of electricity generated during the first nine months of the year rose to 20%, up from 13.4% in the same period last year. Renewable power generation saved 840 million cubic meters of natural gas over this period.

A significant milestone was achieved in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, where total electricity demand was met 100% by renewable energy sources from April 21 to July 2. Ongoing green initiatives support Azerbaijan's strategic goal of increasing the share of renewables in total installed power capacity to 33.3% by 2027.

Out of 11 planned solar and wind power plants totaling 2 GW, three plants with a combined capacity of 570 MW are already operational. By the end of 2026, the Bilasuvar (445 MW) and Shams 1 (25 MW) solar plants are scheduled for commissioning, alongside Masdar's ongoing 200 MW wind power project.

By 2027, additional solar plants—including Neftchala (315 MW), Shafag (240 MW), Shams (50 MW), Ufuq (50 MW), and Garbi Ufuq (25 MW)—will be fully operational. These facilities are expected to generate 5 billion kWh of electricity annually, saving over 1.1 billion cubic meters of natural gas and reducing carbon emissions by up to 2.4 million tons.