The Liberum: Azerbaijan strengthening status of green energy exporter
Azerbaijan is seeking to modernize its clean energy sector and is investing significant resources in the energy transition, according to an article published by The Liberum, Olaylar informs.
The publication analyzes the European Commission"s 2026 meta-study on energy interconnectivity within the Eastern Partnership, the South Caucasus, Türkiye, and Central Asia. The study emphasizes that Europe"s future energy security increasingly depends on the interconnection of electricity sources and the integration of renewable energy markets.
"While framed as a high-level analytical exercise rather than a policy blueprint, the document implicitly highlights Azerbaijan as one of the few regional actors capable of contributing simultaneously to Europe"s short-term energy security and its longer-term decarbonization objectives," the article reads.
The publication also underscores Azerbaijan"s evolving role in this context, pointing out that while the country is not a direct exporter of electricity to the EU, it is increasingly integrating into a regional energy ecosystem that Brussels considers strategically important.
"The Black Sea Submarine Cable project, which links the South Caucasus to Southeastern Europe, stands at the centre of this vision. Developed jointly by Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania, and Hungary, the 1,155-kilometre cable will transmit up to 1,300 megawatts of renewable electricity across the Black Sea. The project received EU Project of Mutual Interest status in December 2025, strengthening access to financing and regulatory support, with completion targeted for 2032," The Liberum notes.
In addition, the publication places special emphasis on Azerbaijan"s investments in electricity infrastructure in the Nakhchivan direction, particularly within the emerging Zangezur energy corridor, which complements the Black Sea energy route.
"By restoring direct electricity connectivity between mainland Azerbaijan and its Nakhchivan exclave and extending this line toward Türkiye, Baku is laying the groundwork for a continuous South Caucasus-Türkiye-Europe electricity axis that strengthens redundancy and system resilience," the article says.
The publication recalls that construction has already begun on the Zangazur high-voltage transmission line, aimed at integrating Nakhchivan into Azerbaijan"s unified power system. At the next stage, a 400 kV transmission line from Nakhchivan to Türkiye is planned, which will further align Azerbaijan"s power system with European technical standards.
"These connectivity ambitions are reinforced by Azerbaijan"s rapid progress in renewable energy deployment. A defining milestone came in January 2026 with the official inauguration of the Khizi-Absheron Wind Power Plant, the largest wind facility in the South Caucasus," the article says.
The author also highlights that Azerbaijan"s participation in multilateral memoranda on renewable electricity trade with Georgia, Türkiye, and Bulgaria reflects gradual progress toward deeper market integration.
The article also discusses the joint Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan project to develop the "Central Asia-Azerbaijan" green energy corridor, as well as the launch of the Garadagh solar power plant - the largest in the Caspian region and across the CIS.
"Taken together, the European Commission"s 2026 meta-study and Azerbaijan"s energy trajectory through early 2026 tell a converging story. Azerbaijan is no longer viewed solely as a hydrocarbon supplier, nor is it portrayed as a fully fledged green energy exporter. Instead, it occupies a strategically valuable middle ground-combining gas supply reliability, renewable energy expansion, and bidirectional electricity connectivity," the article reads.