Azerbaijan to update its Caspian Sea electronic maps

By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijan will reissue nautical charts, update the electronic Caspian Sea maps for vessels sailing under the Azerbaijani flag and change the water areas of the country’s ports.

The decision was taken during a meeting of representatives from Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company and Baku International Sea Trade Port to update the electronic map of Azerbaijan's Caspian Sea water region.

The parties also discussed the specification of new trestle coordinates and their representation on new edition maps, the organization of a new anchorage in the water region of Sangachal village, and the maintenance and replacement of navigation equipment (buoys, sections, lighthouses and coastal signs).

As a result, the coordinates of the objects under construction will be indicated on the new sea maps.

They also reviewed the issues of removing from the water the element of metal bases, overpasses, and other buildings whose service life has expired.

Caspian Sea

Geographically, it is not a sea, but rather the world's biggest lake, covering 371,000 square kilometers.

It is surrounded by Kazakhstan from the north to the east, Russia from the north to the west, Azerbaijan to the southwest, Iran to the south and neighboring corners, and Turkmenistan along the eastern coast's southern portions.

The Kur and Samur rivers feed into the Caspian Sea. The Volga River, which runs through Russian territory, is the largest river flowing into the Caspian Sea. At the same time, the Caspian Sea has several islands, the largest of which is Pirlallhi.

Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan signed a memorandum of understanding on the joint exploration of the Dostlug gas field on January 21, 2021. The signing of the deal marks a turning point in the development of the Caspian's oil resources.

In 2018, the Caspian Sea's legal status was finally confirmed. At the Aktau conference in August 2018, the Caspian Sea littoral states ratified an agreement on Caspian Sea status. Because of its abundant natural resources (gas and oil), coastal states had difficulty striking an agreement. Despite signing the treaty in 2018, it is not yet in force due to Iran's lengthy ratification procedure.

Renewable energy potential

The Caspian Sea has great wind power potential for electricity production. Its wind power potential is estimated at 157 GW. The sea ranks second in the world for its wind energy potential.

It is worth noting that the potential of the Caspian Sea in the field of renewable energy is much greater than the total energy potential of Azerbaijan in terms of other types of alternative sources.

The fact suggests that the Caspian Sea is famous not only for its oil and gas resources but also for clean, alternative energy.

The wind turbines, with a height of more than 90 meters, will be installed in the Caspian Sea. In this respect, Deputy Energy Minister Elnur Soltanov stated that the installation of offshore turbines requires large investments, but the Caspian Sea wind energy potential makes them the most attractive for investors, and this would not result in an electricity tariff increase.

Azerbaijan aims to increase the share of renewable energy sources in the installed capacity of electricity from 16.5 to 30 percent by 2030. With the use of renewable energy sources to generate electricity, Azerbaijan will be able to ensure a sustainable energy balance and export the achieved gas volumes, allowing for an additional inflow of foreign currency into the country’s economy.