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,TurkicWorld 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.
