China's Universal Energy Connects 100 MW Solar Power Plant to Grid in Azerbaijan

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 16, the 100 MW Gobustan solar power plant invested and built by China's Shanghai Universal Energy was officially connected to the grid and put into operation, with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev attending the inauguration ceremony. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its embassy in Azerbaijan confirmed that the project will generate approximately 200 million kWh of electricity annually after being put into operation.

The project is located in the Garadagh district of Baku. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government designated approximately 300.77 hectares of land in the Pirsaat area for the construction of the solar power plant. According to the official website of the President of Azerbaijan, the project is developed by Universal International Holdings Limited, a company headquartered in Shanghai whose business covers green energy and energy storage systems.

The Gobustan project is Azerbaijan's first solar power project implemented through a public competitive bidding mechanism for new energy. The country's first solar project auction was launched in April 2024, and Universal Energy won the bid in November 2024 at a winning tariff of US$0.0354/kWh. In April 2025, the Azerbaijani government signed a 100 MW project investment agreement with Universal Solar Azerbaijan LLC; in June of the same year, the two sides further signed a land lease agreement.

The project's construction content includes approximately 200,000 photovoltaic modules and one 110 kV substation. By the end of July 2026, the power plant had entered the final stage of construction, with the 110/35 kV substation and transmission system completing final preparations and being ready to deliver power to the grid.

After being put into operation, the power plant is expected to generate approximately 200 million kWh of electricity annually, save approximately 45 million cubic meters of natural gas, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 97,000 tons. Following the project's commissioning, Azerbaijan's total installed renewable energy capacity in operation has reached approximately 2,170 MW, accounting for approximately 21.5% of the country's total installed energy capacity.