Four Small Hydropower Plants In Kalbajar, Lachin To Be Commissioned By Year-End, Minister Says

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 11. Four small hydropower plants currently under construction in Kalbajar and Lachin are planned to be commissioned by the end of this year, Azerbaijan's Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov said while speaking at the 5th Azerbaijan-Türkiye Energy Forum, Trend 's correspondent reports from the event.

According to the minister, measurement and assessment work is underway for a 240-megawatt wind power plant project in Kalbajar.

“At the same time, we are considering opportunities to cooperate with Turkish investors on solar power plants with a total capacity of 1,000 megawatts in Nakhchivan. Given the memorandum of understanding recently signed on energy efficiency in buildings, we also invite Turkish investors to actively cooperate in this area,” Shahbazov said.

The minister added that, as in all strategic processes, Azerbaijan considers Türkiye its closest and most reliable ally on the path toward a clean energy future.

“The energy transition is already inseparably linked to digitalization and artificial intelligence. In the future, competitive advantage will not belong only to countries that produce more energy, but to those that efficiently manage energy data and turn it into value through artificial intelligence. In this regard, it is already a requirement of the times for our strategic energy partnership to also encompass artificial intelligence and digital transformation,” he said.

The 5th Azerbaijan-Türkiye Energy Forum is being held in Baku with the participation of Azerbaijan's Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov and Türkiye's Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar.

The forum features discussions on hydrocarbons and petrochemicals, energy efficiency, the electricity market, renewable energy, regulation, mining and other areas. A media briefing is planned at the end of the forum.

The Azerbaijan-Türkiye Energy Forum was established within the framework of the Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation between the two countries to further strengthen strategic energy cooperation.

The first forum was held in Baku on Dec. 21-22, 2021; the second in Istanbul on Oct. 5-6, 2022; the third in Nakhchivan on Sept. 28-29, 2023; and the fourth in Izmir on Sept. 4, 2025.

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