Green energy from the Caspian Sea - Azerbaijan joins the global trend

China's offshore wind power industry has set a record. According to Chinese media, in 2024, the annual electricity generation of this sector increased by almost 30 percent.

Earlier, the Chinese state-owned Dongfang Electric Corporation announced the completion of the installation of the world's tallest (185 meters) offshore wind turbine with a capacity of 18 MW. The diameter of the wind turbine rotor is 260 m, and the area of rotation is 53,000 square meters, which is equivalent to 7.4 standard football fields. It is planned that it will generate 72 GWh of clean electricity per year, which is enough to power about 36,000 households. It was reported that the turbine surpasses all previously produced or only announced models in terms of power.

In general, serious bets are being placed on offshore wind energy in the world. Offshore wind farms, according to experts, are able to meet the needs of densely populated coastal areas. Offshore wind farms are expected to play a key role in the green transition. In general, serious bets are being placed on offshore wind energy in the world. Offshore wind farms, according to experts, are able to meet the needs of densely populated coastal areas. Offshore wind farms are expected to play a key role in the green transition. The share of offshore wind farms in global electricity generation is steadily increasing. The most intensive research in this field is underway in Europe and China. Technical studies of offshore zones have also intensified in Turkiye. By 2035, this country plans to reach a capacity of 5 GW in the field of offshore wind energy.

As you know, offshore wind energy is a very expensive field. The cost of building wind turbines and producing energy makes the latter expensive. However, experts predict that by optimizing production costs and increasing capacity, offshore wind energy will fall in price by almost 50 percent by 2050. This is an important factor for Azerbaijan, as our country is also starting to develop offshore wind energy. Of course, it is still far from reaching the figures of Great Britain and China, but the Caspian Sea has great potential in this regard and the costs promise to justify themselves.

It should be recalled that within the framework of COP29, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), Masdar (UAE) and ACWA Power (Saudi Arabia) for the production of 3.5 gigawatt wind power in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea. The document was signed by SOCAR President Rovshan Najaf, Masdar CEO Mohammed Jamil Al-Ramahi and ACWA Power CEO Marco Arcelli.

Azerbaijan's first offshore wind farms will be built as part of the planned project. Thus, the country has begun to explore the energy potential of the Caspian Sea, which promises a major breakthrough in Azerbaijan's implementation of its commitments to use renewable energy sources and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Speaking at the Baku Energy Forum in 2024, Abid Malik, Vice President and Regional Director of Saudi ACWA Power, said that Azerbaijan has great prospects in terms of renewable energy. Along with the fact that it is a politically stable region, Azerbaijan is very favorable, given the advantages of transit routes and corridors, and is a target country for ACWA Power, Abid Malik said.

It should be noted that Azerbaijan's plans for marine energy were first presented in 2022 at the Baku Energy Forum. According to the Roadmap for the development of offshore wind energy in Azerbaijan, prepared with the support of the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), offshore wind farms (WPPs) with a total capacity of 7.2 GW can be installed in Azerbaijan on the territory of the Caspian Sea by 2040, which will account for almost 40 percent of the total energy consumption in the country. The roadmap also contains recommendations for harnessing the potential of offshore wind energy. These include setting targets for 2030 and 2036, developing a pilot project with a capacity of 200 MW, and then larger projects, opening up new promising areas for offshore wind use, upgrading infrastructure, implementing world best practices, and so on.

According to preliminary estimates, 157,000 MW of energy can be generated in the Azerbaijani sector of the sea alone, which exceeds the total capacity of Azerbaijan's power plants by 20 times. Using offshore wind energy will not only solve internal problems, but also increase the country's ability to export green energy. Azerbaijan's offshore wind resources are quite sufficient for this. Moreover, according to economists, if this potential is properly managed, the costs will pay off fairly quickly.

BVG Associates, a British renewable energy consulting company, participated in the preparation of the offshore wind energy map of Azerbaijan. The UK's experience in this area is very useful, because this country is successfully moving towards abandoning coal and replacing it with renewable energy.

Azerbaijan has previously signed relevant agreements with Masdar and Fortescue Industries for a total installed capacity of 22 GW. For comparison, the total installed electricity production capacity in Azerbaijan, including all renewable and non-renewable sources, is 8 GW. Of these 22 GW, about 16 GW is accounted for by offshore wind energy production.

In 2022, the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) included Azerbaijan, along with countries such as Australia, Sri Lanka and Turkiye, in the top four countries in terms of their offshore wind energy potential.

Azerbaijan is joining the global trend. The Caspian Sea opens up new opportunities for our country, which it will use in the interests of saving the planet.