AIIB Portrays New Financal Agreement For Solar Project In Azerbaijan

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 16. The Asian Infrastructure investment bank (AIIB) together with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has signed a new financial agreement for a 760 MW solar power plant project sponsored by the AIIB's important client Masdar, Head of Investment Projects and Corporate Finance at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) James Lock said during COP29 investment forum on energy transition for Central Asia today, Trend reports.

According to him, this will be the largest renewable energy project to date.

"The AIIB is a rapidly growing multilateral development bank with 110 members. Its members in Central Asia include Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, all of which are founding members of the bank. Since its establishment in 2016, the AIIB has become a significant player in infrastructure financing, approving over 280 projects totaling $55 billion across 37 countries," he said.

He noted that the bank aims to increase private sector participation, with the goal of reaching 50 percent of funding from private sources by 2030.

"As a financial institution with a focus on Asia, we recognize the region's vulnerability to climate change and its significant potential for renewable energy development, which can greatly contribute to the global transition to green energy.

The countries of Central Asia are diverse in many aspects, but they share a strategic geographic location between Europe and Asia, as well as abundant renewable energy resources such as wind, solar, and hydro power. We view Central Asia as a key player in the energy transition," he added.

To note, the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), which will run until November 22, opened at the Baku Olympic Stadium on November 11. It is the largest event organized by Azerbaijan to date, and the first time in the region that it is being held in Azerbaijan.

Within COP29, the highest level event - the summit of world leaders on climate action - was held on November 12–13.

The main expectation from COP29 is to agree on a fair and ambitious New Collective Quantitative Goal (NCQG) on climate finance. The COP29 chairmanship has launched 14 initiatives that include linkages between climate action and the Sustainable Development Goals, including green energy corridors, green energy storage, harmony for climate resilience, clean hydrogen, methane reduction in organic waste, action on green digital technologies, and other topics.

In addition to being a top priority that creates the conditions for action, creating climate finance will also help fulfill the 1.5°C pledge by bringing everyone together.

The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change is an agreement signed at the Rio Earth Summit in June 1992 to prevent dangerous human interference in the climate system. The acronym COP (Conference of Parties) stands for“Conference of Parties” and is the highest legislative body overseeing the implementation of the Framework Convention on Climate Change.

A total of 198 countries are parties to the Convention. Unless otherwise decided by the parties, COP is held annually. The first COP event was held in March 1995 in Berlin, and its secretariat is located in Bonn.

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