Both in the oil and gas sector and in the field of renewable energy, most of the easily accessible opportunities have already been utilized. Processes in these areas are becoming more detailed and complex.
“Elchi” reports that Deputy Minister of Energy Elnur Soltanov stated this while speaking at the event on “Energy Efficiency and ESCO Investment Platform: Connecting Global ESCO Experience with Large Energy Consumers in Azerbaijan” organized within the framework of the 31st Baku Energy Week.
“However, there is still great potential in the direction of energy efficiency, and this area is of special importance to us. We are working on forming the legal framework for the development of energy efficiency, and we have almost completed this process,” Elnur Soltanov added.
According to him, intensive work is currently underway on the energy certification system for buildings:
“We believe that it will be possible to start this process and have it fully operational by the end of the year.”
The Deputy Minister stated that approximately 500 companies, institutions, and buildings with energy consumption ranging from 250 kilowatts to 1000 kilowatts have been identified in Azerbaijan. These institutions and buildings must appoint energy managers. Together with the Ministry of Energy, this process has already been implemented in nearly a hundred institutions, and energy managers have been identified in those enterprises.
“This is a quite complex and detailed process. Energy managers must pass relevant exams and be professionally certified. At the same time, it is mandatory for those 500 institutions to undergo an energy audit every three years. In other words, conducting an energy audit is a legislative requirement for them.
I am not mentioning these by chance. In addition, the Energy Efficiency Fund has also been established. The funding of the Fund is already being provided, and we are trying to direct those financial resources to energy efficiency projects,” Elnur Soltanov emphasized.