President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has attended the inauguration of 110/35/6 kV Dubandi substation owned by AzerEnergy OJSC after major overhaul in Pirallahi district, Baku.

Head of AzerEnergy OJSC Baba Rzayev informed the head of state of the works done here.

President Ilham Aliyev launched the substation.

The head of state met with employees of Dubandi substation.

Greeting the substation staff, President Ilham Aliyev said:

- I congratulate you on the opening of the new substation. Dubandi substation now meets the highest standards and will supply a large area with electricity. The former substation was in a deplorable state, it was practically out of service. Therefore, it was necessary to build a new substation and AzerEnergy organized that at a high level. Thus, another important step has been taken in the direction of uninterrupted supply of energy to the population of Azerbaijan.

I should also note that a lot of attention has been paid to this area in recent years. Thanks to this, it is possible to say that Azerbaijan has resolved all the key problems associated with energy supply. The attention being paid to this sector in recent years has allowed Azerbaijan the opportunity to become an energy supplier. We used to rely on imports. Today we fully address our needs and even export electricity.

I believe that overall 2020 has got off to a good start for AzerEnergy and for Azerbaijan’s energy sector. At the beginning of the year, two large companies signed relevant agreements with Azerbaijan on the construction of new wind and solar power plants with a capacity of 440 megawatts in our country. Work will begin this year, so renewable energy will be widely developed in Azerbaijan. At the same time, the opening of this substation today is a significant event. This year, restoration work will be continued at the Mingachevir Thermal Power Plant. In the first half of the year, the station will operate at full capacity. Last year, a total of 400 megawatts of lost capacity was restored, a significant part of which falls on the share of the Mingachevir Thermal Power Plant. And this year, approximately 300-400 megawatts of lost electricity will be restored in Azerbaijan.

At the same time, the state will continue to work on the creation of renewable forms of energy. This year, funds will also be allocated for this. Thus, generating capacities, power lines, transformers, substations and the entire electricity grid will fully meet international standards. Energy supply means the security of any country, in particular such a dynamically developing country as Azerbaijan. Last year alone, growth in the non-oil sector accounted for 14 percent. All this work, new enterprises, plants, factories and a growing population require new energy capacities. And we are creating them. The Azerbaijani state will continue to pay proper attention to this sector. And power engineers fulfilling their duty with dignity will continue to contribute to the overall development of our country.

Congratulations again and I wish you continued success.

Energy workers: Thank you very much, thank you.