BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 15. On April 15, Anar
Karimov, First Deputy Minister of Finance of the Republic of
Azerbaijan, held a meeting with the World Bank’s (WB) Energy Sector
Mission. and discussed expanding cooperation in the energy sector,
Trend reports
via the Azerbaijani Ministry of Finance.
The mission included senior energy specialists, the current task
team leader, Roger Coma Cunill, and the incoming task team leader,
Sameh Mobarek.
During the discussions, the parties reviewed the World Bank’s
support for Azerbaijan in implementing the “Integration of
Renewable Energy Sources into the Grid (AZURE)” project, as well as
the outcomes of technical assistance delivered within the ongoing
partnership between the Azerbaijani government and the World
Bank.
Anar Karimov highlighted that more than 30 years of successful
cooperation have established the World Bank as one of Azerbaijan’s
key development partners. He emphasized the strategic importance of
the AZURE project, noting its significant contribution to
strengthening the national transmission network through the
integration of 1 GW of solar and wind power capacity developed by
Masdar into the energy system.
He also underlined the importance of financing Battery Energy
Storage Systems (BESS) within the AZURE framework, describing it as
a critical step toward enhancing grid flexibility, enabling greater
integration of renewable energy, and improving overall system
resilience.
World Bank representatives, in turn, expressed satisfaction with
the ongoing cooperation in Azerbaijan’s energy sector and
reaffirmed their commitment to continue technical support in areas
such as electricity grid modernization, tariff reform, and offshore
wind development. They also stressed the importance of translating
technical assistance into sustainable and efficient investment
projects, as well as strengthening coordination among relevant
institutions.
The meeting also included an exchange of views on priority
investment areas for the next phase, the advancement of renewable
energy projects, and further expansion of cooperation with the
World Bank.
