100 MW Gobustan Solar Power Plant Inaugurated in Baku
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev attended the opening ceremony of the 100 MW Gobustan solar power plant in Baku's Garadagh district.
Abdulrahman Sadikhli2 min read
On September 16, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev attended the inauguration ceremony of the 100 MW Gobustan solar power plant located in the Garadagh district of Baku. The head of state was briefed on the operation of the new station and the activities of the investor company.
At the event, the Azerbaijani leader was welcomed by Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazov, Chinese Ambassador to Azerbaijan Lu Mei, and Chief Executive Officer of Universal International Holdings Limited Nan Yi. The project was implemented by the Chinese company Universal Energy, founded in Shanghai. The enterprise specializes in green energy and energy storage solutions, implementing renewable energy projects in China, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.
A land plot of 300.77 hectares in the Pirsaat settlement of the Garadagh district was designated for the construction of the solar power plant by a Cabinet of Ministers decision in 2023. The site was put up for auction, which was won by Universal International Holdings Limited in 2024. The Gobustan plant became Azerbaijan's first renewable energy project implemented through an auction, as well as Universal Energy's first project in the country.
Solar panels, field inverters, and transformers have been installed at the facility, and cabling work has been completed in full. Once fully operational, the Gobustan solar power plant is expected to generate approximately 200 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. This will save 45 million cubic meters of natural gas per year and reduce carbon emissions by 97,000 tons.
With the launch of the Gobustan solar power plant, total renewable energy capacity in Azerbaijan will reach 2,170 MW, and the total number of such plants will increase to 85. These include 65 hydroelectric power plants (1,443.5 MW), 6 wind power plants (306.5 MW), 9 solar power plants (278.2 MW), 3 hybrid plants (7.3 MW), and 1 bio-power plant (37 MW). Currently, renewable sources account for about 20.8% of the country's total power capacity.
The technical potential of green energy in Azerbaijan is estimated at 135 GW onshore and 157 GW offshore, while the economic potential stands at 27 GW (including 23 GW of solar energy, 3 GW of wind, 520 MW from mountain rivers, and 380 MW of bioenergy). By the end of 2027, the country plans to implement renewable energy projects with a total capacity of about 1.5 GW in cooperation with local and international partners.
Source: news.milli.az
