Afgan Isayev: SOCAR plans to localize part of wind farm equipment production

The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) plans in the future to localize part of the production of equipment for wind farms, SOCAR Vice President Afgan Isayev said in an interview with Euronews.

According to Report, Isayev stressed that by 2035, SOCAR will have become a national energy company.

"And, as you rightly mentioned, not a hydrocarbon company, but with a balanced portfolio. One of the major challenges that we face when it comes to the development of renewable energy sources here in Azerbaijan is the limitations of the grid to intake the intermittent sources of energy. And that's why we need additional balancing power, by the CCGTs, for example, we need battery energy storage solutions or a combination of both," he said.

According to him, another challenge is the lack of access to open sea.

"Some  of the infrastructure-related equipment, some of the equipment that we require for wind farms, for example, the blades can average 92–94 meters in length. And bringing them here is quite a challenge. Hopefully, of course, we will be able to localize certain production in the future," Isayev said.

The SOCAR vice president also noted that part of the infrastructure and equipment dates back to Soviet times.

"That is why, as a challenge number three, is the decarbonization of the core activities themselves. We require massive investments in moderization of our operational processes. We require massive investments in digitalization," he said.