BP is interested in developing Azerbaijan’s renewable energy sector, Niall Henderson, head of planning & commercial operations at BP in Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey region, told reporters in Baku Dec. 14.
He said the company has extensive experience in the extraction of hydrocarbons in the country and works closely with government agencies in this direction.
Henderson also noted the importance of the renewable energy sources, adding that the development of this sector will take place in several areas.
One of these areas is reducing the proportion of hydrocarbons and developing clean energy, and BP has sufficient experience in this area, he said.
For example, in the US, the company is implementing large-scale projects in wind energy, which involve generating 1.3 gigawatts of energy, he said.
BP is also involved in solar energy projects, and in general, in the field of alternative energy, the company operates in 10 countries, he added.
Most of Azerbaijan’s potential in this sector comes from the solar energy and this potential is estimated at 5,000 megawatts.
Wind power accounts for 4,500 megawatts, biomass for 1,500 megawatts, geothermal energy for 800 megawatts, and small hydropower plants for the remaining 350 megawatts.
The potential of renewable energy sources in Azerbaijan exceeds 25,300 megawatts, which will allow generating 62.8 billion kilowatt hours of electricity annually.
In January-October 2018, hydropower production amounted to 1,528.4 kilowatt hours, solar energy to 35.1 kilowatt hours and wind power to 42.5 kilowatt hours, according to the State Statistics Committee of Azerbaijan.
