On April 15, Anar Karimov, Azerbaijan’s First Deputy Minister of Finance, met with a World Bank energy sector mission delegation represented by Roger Coma Cunill, Senior Energy Specialist and Task Team Leader, and Sameh Mobarek, the incoming Task Team Leader.
The talks focused on the World Bank’s support for Azerbaijan in implementing the Azerbaijan Scaling-Up Renewable Energy (AZURE) project, as well as the outcomes achieved through technical assistance provided under the partnership between the Azerbaijani government and the World Bank.
Karimov noted that more than three decades of successful collaboration have made the World Bank one of Azerbaijan’s key development partners. He stated that within this partnership, the strategically important AZURE project has made a significant contribution to strengthening the transmission network by enabling the integration of 1 GW of solar and wind power plants built by Masdar into the national energy system.
Addressing the potential financing of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) as part of the AZURE project, the deputy minister emphasized the importance of this initiative for improving grid flexibility, enabling broader integration of renewable energy sources, and enhancing overall grid resilience.
In response, World Bank representatives expressed satisfaction with their energy-sector cooperation with Azerbaijan. They noted that technical support would continue in areas such as electricity grid modernization, tariff reforms, and offshore wind energy development. At the same time, they stressed the need to translate technical assistance results into more sustainable and efficient investment projects, as well as to strengthen coordination among relevant institutions.
The meeting also included an exchange of views on identifying priority investment directions for the next phase, developing renewable energy projects, and further expanding cooperation with the Bank.
https://renewables.az/en/news/azerbaijan-world-bank-discuss-expanding-energy-cooperation