Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva participated in the opening ceremony of the Ashagi Vang, Nadirkhanli, and Chaykend small hydropower plants in Kalbajar

On August 21, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva participated in the opening ceremony of the Ashagi Vang, Nadirkhanli, and Chaykend small hydropower plants operated by AzerEnerji OJSC in the village of Vang, Kalbajar district.

AzerEnerji Chairman Baba Rzayev briefed the President and the First Lady about the stations.

In line with President Ilham Aliyev’s instructions to transform the Karabakh and East Zangazur economic regions into a “green energy” zone, the 8.6 MW Ashagi Vang and 8.8 MW Nadirkhanli small hydroelectric power plants have been constructed in Kalbajar district. To supply water to these plants, a main intake structure was built at the confluence of the Lev River with the Tartar River, as well as a second intake on the Tutqu River where it joins the Tartar. For these cascade hydroelectric plants, a total of 9,300 meters of derivation pipelines were laid in challenging terrain. To prevent fish from entering the pipelines and to preserve the river ecosystem, the intake structures were equipped with special hydrotechnical installations that comply with all ecological standards. The hydro turbines installed at both stations ensure that no harmful substances mix with the water and that the water is returned downstream without any changes to its quality indicators.

Equipped with modern technology, the stations have been integrated into the country’s centralized SCADA system. The clean, eco-friendly energy generated here will supply electricity to approximately 25,000 people. It is planned that the Ashagi Vang and Nadirkhanli stations will generate 48 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. This will save 12.5 million cubic meters of natural gas per year and prevent the release of 23,000 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Eight residents of Kalbajar district have been employed at the stations.

The Chaykend Small Hydroelectric Power Plant has a capacity of 5 MW. It is the eleventh “green energy” facility commissioned by AzerEnerji in Kalbajar. The plant is supplied with water via an 8,500-meter derivation pipeline from a newly built intake on one of the largest rivers in the country, the Tartar River. The station, which will provide clean, eco-friendly energy for approximately 7,000 people, is equipped with “environmentally friendly technologies.” Along with digital switching, smart management, operational monitoring, and analysis, remote control from Baku will also be possible. For integration into the national energy system, a 5-kilometer, 10 kV transmission line has been built. Integrated into the centralized SCADA system, the station is expected to produce 15 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, saving 3.2 million cubic meters of natural gas and preventing 6,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Four local residents have been employed here.

President Ilham Aliyev inaugurated the Ashagi Vang, Nadirkhanli, and Chaykend small hydroelectric power plants.