BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 23. Azerbaijan
currently consumes about 15 billion cubic meters of natural gas,
and nearly one-third of this generates electricity, Deputy Minister
of Energy Elnur Soltanov said during a roundtable event on the
occasion of the International Clean Energy Day at ADA University,
Trend reports.


He pointed out that Azerbaijan needs to take a few leaps in the
realm of clean energy.


"The main issue here is undoubtedly related to technology and
its cost. First of all, in some sectors, the appropriate technology
does not yet exist, and we should view this as an exogenous factor.
We are not among the countries that create technology, and we must
accept this. This should not be considered a serious problem.


Therefore, these issues cannot be fully solved in the short term
solely through our internal capabilities, even within the framework
of the economic cooperation organization we are discussing today.
Long-term strategic goals need to be defined in this direction,"
Soltanov explained.


The deputy minister pointed out that when it comes to clean
energy, the crux of the matter lies in securing financial
resources.


"Our region and the Economic Cooperation Organization can give a
serious push to these processes.


The third important issue is cooperation in every sense. For
example, Azerbaijan has a unique geographical location. We don't
have access to the ocean, which creates certain limitations.
However, the situation in electricity production is somewhat
different.







We allocate approximately five billion cubic meters of gas
solely for electricity production, which is more than the total
annual gas consumption of some European countries. 'Greening' the
electricity sector is not so difficult because the technologies
exist. However, the main problem is energy storage systems.


These systems are very expensive, and without batteries, a full
transition to solar and wind energy is impossible. Another
alternative is to strengthen energy connections with neighboring
countries. For example, this model is already being applied in the
European Union, and it significantly facilitates the transition to
green energy," he added.


A roundtable discussion and an award ceremony of the Clean
Energy Center of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Clean
Energy Hackathon 2026 are being held in Baku on the occasion of the
International Clean Energy Day.


The event features a roundtable discussion and an award ceremony
on the topic of transition to clean energy and regional cooperation
models to accelerate the expansion of renewable energy.


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