Azerbaijan pivots to green power with $2.7 bn plan to export wind and solar to Europe

Azerbaijan intends to bring ten wind and solar plants online by 2027 and channel about $2.7 billion into clean-energy projects, lifting renewables to one-third of its generating capacity and positioning the Caspian state as a new supplier of green electricity to Europe.

Baku’s energy minister, Parviz Shahbazov, told the Baku Energy Forum that the “first full phase” of the transition will be finished within two years, including a 240 MW wind farm due in late 2025 and three solar parks totalling 200 MW whose construction starts this year. Preparations are also under way for a 100 MW floating solar project.

The programme will raise the share of renewables in installed capacity to 33.7 % by 2027, the ministry says, with targets of 38 % by 2030 and 42.5 % by 2035. At least eight schemes totalling 2.2 GW are already under construction or in advanced planning, ranging from BP’s 240 MW Shafag solar array in Jabrayil to Nobel Energy’s 400 MW plant in Nakhchivan.

To deliver exports, Azerbaijan is working with Georgia, Romania and Hungary on a 1 GW high-voltage direct-current link dubbed the Caspian–Black Sea–Europe Green Energy Corridor. The cable, aligned with EU decarbonisation goals, would feed excess output directly into continental grids.

The renewables push is part of a broader strategy to cut greenhouse-gas emissions 40 % by 2050 and create a net-zero zone in territories retaken from Armenian control. The government is also building 60 small hydro plants—32 are already operating—in the Garabagh and East Zangazur regions.

Analysts say the shift allows the oil-rich country to maintain its role as a reliable energy partner while helping European states diversify away from Russian supplies. Investments in wind, solar and storage are projected to add at least another 6 GW between 2027 and 2030, much of it earmarked for export, according to the energy ministry.

Azerbaijan currently meets roughly two-thirds of its electricity demand with natural gas. Officials argue that scaling up renewables will curb domestic gas use, freeing more fuel for sale abroad and cushioning state revenues during the transition to cleaner power.

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