The open-type joint-stock company Azerenerji (Azerenergy) is also actively supporting international efforts to mitigate the negative impact of the global climate change by implementing measures aimed at improving the environmental aspects through introducing state-of-the-art technologies in the electricity generation and transmission sectors.
Azerenergy has switched to natural gas by minimizing the amount of fuel oil in the existing hydro power plants, which has unparalleled benefits in terms of mitigating the effects of environmental, including climate change.
The “Rehabilitation Program for 2018-2021” was adopted in 2018, considering the construction and commissioning of new high-efficiency power plants and the suspension of low-efficiency power plants. Under this program, 12 power plants and about 20 substations are being reconstructed, repaired and restored, and in some of them, the work has already been completed.
In order to keep the hydro power plants (HHPs) with a total installed capacity of over 1,000 MW in constant operational and efficient state, measures are being taken to increase safety and sustainability at the Mingacevir, Shamkir and Yenikand hydro power plants.
In addition, the construction and commissioning of new small HPPs is one of the priorities of the company. Over the past years, seven small hydro power plants with a total installed capacity of up to 10 MW have been built and connected to the network in different regions of the country. At present, the completion works are being carried out at Oguz-1, Oguz-2 and Oguz-3 small HPPs with a total installed capacity of 3.6 MW in Oguz District, and Azerenergy OJSC is studying the possibilities of construction of five more small HPPs across the country.
The Gulabird small HPP was repaired and commissioned in Lachin District. The Sugovushan-1 and Sugovushan-2 HPPs are also planned to be commissioned in the near future. According to the estimates made on the basis of recent years, as a result of the implementation of these works and the completion of the “Rehabilitation Program 2018-2021”, the enterprises of Azerenergy OJSC are expected to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) by about 2-3 million tons per year.
In 2020, Azerenergy OJSC planted about 13,000 different trees, 12,800 different ornamental shrubs suitable for the local climate around the power plants, substations and in their protection zones. The company also put down 40,000 square meters of lawns. As a result of these measures, the total number of trees planted on the territory of enterprises reached 118,000 with ornamental and rose bushes standing at 30,000 pieces. In all, the total area of lawn cover has reached 320,000 square meters.
