In Gobstan, Bakugaladag District, rows of photovoltaic panels are spread out in the sunlight, turning the scenery along the Caspian Sea coast into a continuous stream of green electricity. This power station, which was awarded the development rights by Chinese enterprises, has officially started production, marking the beginning of Azerbaijan's renewable energy bidding mechanism.

The first bid is settled

The 100 megawatt Gobstan photovoltaic power plant in Bakugaradag district of Azerbaijan has officially started production, unveiled by Azerbaijani President Aliyev. It is the country's first renewable energy project implemented through an auction mechanism. The project is developed by Universal Energy, a Chinese provider of green energy and energy storage system solutions, and is Universal Energy's first project in Azerbaijan. Universal International won the project at the lowest bid of $0.0354 per kilowatt hour in 2024. After full operation, the power station is expected to generate approximately 200 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually. According to the Office of the President of Azerbaijan, this amount of electricity is expected to save about 45 million cubic meters of natural gas annually and reduce carbon emissions by about 97000 tons. Keywords: Universal Energy, Gobstein Photovoltaic Power Station

Green Power Layout Expansion

With the commissioning of the Gobstan power station, the total installed capacity of renewable energy in Azerbaijan is expected to reach 2.17 gigawatts, with a total of 85 power stations. Renewable energy will account for about 21.5% of the country's total installed power generation capacity, including 10 photovoltaic power stations with a total installed capacity of 378.2 megawatts, as well as hydropower, wind power, hybrid energy, and biomass power stations. The Office of the President of Azerbaijan stated that the country also plans to implement a total of approximately 1.5 gigawatts of renewable energy projects by the end of 2027. In addition to Universal Energy, Sichuan Heguang Tongcheng plans to build a photovoltaic module manufacturing plant locally, while POWERCHINA is exploring projects such as photovoltaics, wind power, smart energy systems, and green hydrogen. Chinese companies are increasingly appearing on the shores of the Caspian Sea.Editor/Min Jing