(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BILASUVAR, Azerbaijan, October 2. Azerbaijan rolled out the red carpet for the installation of the first solar panel at the Bilasuvar Solar Power Plant (SPP), a project boasting a capacity of 445 megawatts, with a ceremonial event that was the icing on the cake, Trend reports.

The Bilasuvar SPP, covering an area of 1,400 hectares, will be equipped with more than 943,000 panels produced by the Chinese company JA Solar, featuring double-sided electricity generation. Solar panels with a capacity of 625-630 watts are being gradually delivered to the site. The plant will also be equipped with 8,131 single-axis tracking systems. After commissioning, the panels will be cleaned automatically with the help of special devices. The launch of the plant is planned for next year.

The event was attended by Head of the Bilasuvar District Executive Authority Faig Gurbanov, Director of the State Agency for Renewable Energy under the Ministry of Energy Javid Abdullayev, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Azerenergy Rustam Gasimov, Chief Operating Officer of Masdar Abdulaziz Alobaidli, Vice President of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) Afgan Isaev, Director General of SOCAR Green Elmir Musayev, and other representatives. They emphasized the importance of the project in the country's energy transition and environmental protection.

In the speeches, it was noted that the Bilasuvar Solar Power Plant, implemented in line with Azerbaijan's renewable energy goals, will become one of the largest solar projects in the region, both in terms of production capacity and the scale of technologies applied.

Officials and guests engaged in a ceremonial signing of the photovoltaic modules and participated in the inaugural installation of the initial panel.

To note, Azerbaijan is strategizing to deploy a significant quantum of novel solar power infrastructure, targeting an augmentation of 2.7 gigawatts (GW) in new wind and solar energy generation by the year 2030, thereby elevating its aggregate renewable capacity to 4 GW. This encompasses initiatives such as the 445 MW Bilasuvar Solar PV Project and the 315 MW Neftchala Solar PV Project that are presently in the development phase, in conjunction with additional ventures in the Karabakh and East Zangazur territories.

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