According to a new report by Ember, Central Asia and the Caucasus have a massive opportunity to develop green energy corridors. These regions focus on renewable energy projects to address rising electricity and gas demands.

Azerbaijan leads the way in green energy efforts, as COP29 begins and targets to connect regional renewable energy sources through collaboration. 

The report emphasizes that countries like Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Türkiye, and the EU are working together to create low-cost, sustainable energy solutions across borders.

However, the region still depended heavily on fossil fuels. Countries like Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan depend on natural gas for over 90% of their energy, making it the dominant source of power generation.

In contrast, hydropower is the main renewable energy source in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Georgia, contributing up to 88% of their electricity.

Central Asia holds significant potential for renewable energy growth despite all the challenges. For example, Kazakhstan has the highest wind energy capacity and can produce 929 TWh annually, three times the region’s current energy needs. 

Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan also have huge solar energy resources, with Turkmenistan’s capacity at 655 GW.

Countries are setting ambitious goals to increase renewable energy use. Kazakhstan plans to reach 15% renewables in its energy mix by 2030, while Uzbekistan targets 40%. Azerbaijan is targeting 30% of renewable energy production by the year 2030. 

Strong energy connections between nations are crucial to support this transformation.

With the target of linking Central Asia’s energy with Europe, projects like undersea cables across the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea are making the way for a cleaner and interconnected future.

The report highlighted that building green energy corridors between Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Europe can increase renewable energy, improve energy security, and cut down fossil fuel use.

It highlighted that as COP29 focuses on climate, countries in the region must cooperate to the idea of a sustainable and connected energy future.

Source:

https://asian-power.com/news/can-central-asia-and-caucasus-become-worlds-next-green-energy-hub