Great personalities make their names eternal in history by advancing political, economic, and other processes for the welfare of their people during their time. Every nation is proud of its historical figures and holds the legacy they created in great esteem. The people of Azerbaijan have always remembered with pride the great personality Heydar Aliyev, the architect and founder of our modern state, who made significant and irreplaceable contributions to the independence and development of his people and country, and influenced historical processes in this regard.
After Heydar Aliyev came to power in Azerbaijan in 1969, he took urgent measures to ensure the rapid development of the electric energy system, one of the main sectors of the republic’s socio-economic life, and implemented many large-scale projects. Under his direct initiative and leadership, projects aimed at meeting the republic’s demand for electricity from local resources were initiated in the early 1970s. During that period, the construction and commissioning of new power plants, substations, and high-voltage transmission lines played a key role in increasing the republic’s industrial potential.
During the leadership of the National Leader, Heydar Aliyev, in 1971, the Araz Hydroelectric Power Station with a capacity of 22 MW was constructed on the Araz River in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. In 1972, the capacity of the Sumgait Thermal Power Plant No. 2 was increased to 220 MW. In 1976-1977, the Sarsang Reservoir and its 50 MW hydroelectric power station were put into operation. In 1982, the Shamkir Hydroelectric Power Station with a capacity of 380 MW was launched.
Heydar Aliyev was the one who turned Mingachevir into not only Azerbaijan’s but also the entire Caucasus’ energy center. Under his leadership and initiative, the foundation of the large power station “Azerbaijan HPP” was laid in Mingachevir in 1976. As a result of Heydar Aliyev’s efforts, the construction of this station was carried out at the union level, involving the most professional specialists and using modern technical equipment. The first power unit of the station was commissioned under the direct leadership of Heydar Aliyev, marking the beginning of a new phase in the development of Azerbaijan’s energy sector. This station, which forms the backbone of the country’s electricity system, continues to play a crucial role in ensuring the energy security of our independent state. With the commissioning of this station, the development and progress in the electricity energy system allowed our republic to form its own independent and sustainable energy system.
Overall, during the first period of Heydar Aliyev’s leadership, Azerbaijan’s electricity supply issue was resolved. In 1969, Azerbaijan was importing electricity, but by 1982, it had become an exporter of electricity.
In June 1993, when Heydar Aliyev returned to power, he paid special attention to all sectors of the national economy, including the electric energy system. As in all sectors of the national economy, a crisis situation had emerged in the energy sector, and the harmonious operation of the system was disrupted. Our National Leader initiated purposeful, large-scale measures to overcome the crisis in the energy system, renew and strengthen its material and technical base. Establishing mutually beneficial relations with leading countries in the world and attracting foreign investments to increase the efficiency of the existing potential of the energy system and the restructuring of the power engineering industry continue to be implemented purposefully today.
In 1994, the signing of the “Contract of the Century” marked the successful realization of the “New Oil Strategy.” With the “Contract of the Century,” Azerbaijan strengthened its independence and demonstrated to the world that it fully owned its resources.
The perfect strategic line determined by the National Leader, Heydar Aliyev, with his unique foresight, is successfully being continued today by President Ilham Aliyev. Depending on the depletion rate of the country’s non-renewable energy reserves, Azerbaijan is currently strengthening its energy infrastructure with the help of alternative or renewable energy sources. The energy resources of rivers, wind, and sunlight in Azerbaijan are sufficient to meet the country’s energy needs.
Azerbaijan has historically been among the countries with oil and natural gas reserves. It is a source of pride that these natural resources are being successfully used for the country’s rise. The energy policy initiated by Heydar Aliyev and firmly continued by President Ilham Aliyev is yielding effective results, ensuring the development of the non-oil sector, the full realization of the set goals, and the protection of Azerbaijan’s national interests on a global scale.
Until a few years ago, Azerbaijan’s energy policy mainly focused on oil. Since 2006, the Heydar Aliyev Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan main export pipeline, which has been in operation, continues to deliver Caspian oil to world markets. The implementation of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, one of the greatest successes of our country’s energy policy, has greatly strengthened Azerbaijan’s position in the Eurasian region and turned it into a leader of the South Caucasus. Today, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline is not only of exceptional importance to Azerbaijan but also to countries with successful partnerships in energy security and oil exports.
Today, Azerbaijan also exports natural gas to European markets. The Southern Gas Corridor, which was launched in 2014, completed its construction in just six years. Previously, Azerbaijan’s natural gas was only exported to Georgia and Turkey, but since December 31, 2020, it has been supplied to European markets.
In the near future, Azerbaijan will also export electricity to European countries. Foundations for partnership in the field of “green energy” have already been laid between our country and Europe.
It should be noted that one of the key goals for many countries today is the transition to “green energy.” Energy transition involves replacing traditional energy resources with renewable energy sources, meaning “green energy.” Due to modern challenges and expected structural changes in energy balance, tasks such as increasing renewable and clean energy capacity and creating “green energy” routes are among the main topics of the global agenda today.
In Azerbaijan, the transition to “green energy” is one of the priorities of the energy policy. The country’s climate conditions provide great opportunities for obtaining “green energy.” It is no coincidence that one of the main directions declared in the “Azerbaijan 2030: National Priorities for Socio-Economic Development” is this. Already, projects are being implemented in this area in our republic. In January 2022, the foundation of a 240 MW Wind Power Plant was laid with the participation of the Saudi Arabian company ACWA Power. In March, a ceremony was held for the foundation laying of a 230 MW Qaradag Solar Power Plant, to be built by the UAE company Masdar.
During a plenary session in Bucharest, President Ilham Aliyev stated that Azerbaijan plans to create at least 6 gigawatts of additional renewable energy capacity by 2037. The total capacity of wind and solar energy on land in Azerbaijan exceeds 27 gigawatts, while the wind energy potential in the Caspian Sea sector of Azerbaijan amounts to 157 gigawatts.
As we can see, Azerbaijan’s renewable energy potential is very high. Based on this potential, Azerbaijan is currently rapidly transitioning to “green energy.” All of these factors indicate that Azerbaijan will soon become one of the leading countries in the renewable energy sector.
Ulker Ashurova Head of the Department of Energy, MDU, Associate Professor
