Azerbaijan raises total electricity generation capacity by 0.3%

At present, the country's total electricity generation capacity is 7,538.4 MW (21.9 mW or 0.3% more than last year), Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov said in an article entitled "A new era of Azerbaijani energy begins in Karabakh and East Zangazur", published in the Respublika newspaper, dedicated to October 20 - Energy Day.

According to him, the electroenergetic system includes 18 thermal power plants with a total capacity of 6,237.7 MW, 25 hydropower plants with 150.9 MW, solid waste power plants with 37 mW, four wind power plants with 63.3 MW, eight solar power plants with 42 MW, and three hybrid (solar, wind and biogas) power plants with 7.4 MW.

The Minister said that the capacity of power plants on renewable energy sources, including hydropower, is 1,300.7 mW, which is about 17.3% of the total capacity: "Along with increasing the generation capacity in the country, achievements have been made in the electricity network. Thus, 218 110-500 kV substations with a total capacity of 25,680.5 MWA are currently in operation. Last year's decline in electricity production and exports was replaced by growth this year. Thus, in 2020, the country's electricity production amounted to 25.8 billion kWh, exports to 1.15 billion kWh, and imports to 136.5 million kWh. Compared to 2019, electricity production decreased by 275.9 million kWh, exports by 340.2 million kWh, and imports by 0.4 million kWh. On the contrary, electricity consumption increased by 328 million kWh last year to about 22 billion kWh."