Turkmenistan could lay an electric cable from Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan across the Caspian Sea to reach the European market, AzVision reports.
Azerbaijani expert reflects on "green energy," which could be transmitted through this communication thanks to the production of electricity from the sun and wind.
"Construction of the Trans-Caspian cable would connect the electricity infrastructure on the left and right banks of the Caspian Sea, eliminating the need to produce electricity from gas," says Ilham Shaban, director of the Petroleum Research Centre.
The project has no political obstacles, such as the Trans-Caspian pipeline project, which failed to materialize because of Russian and Iranian environmental objections.
The Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea of 12 August 2018 has a specific provision on laying pipelines (oil, gas, and water).
"But there is nothing on cables, electricity, and infrastructure necessary to transmit it."
On a positive note, the UAE-based Masdar company invested in Azerbaijan recently decided to produce green energy in Turkmenistan.
A Turkmenistan Academy of Sciences representative told Daryo that local scientists had progressed in developing autonomous solar-wind farms capable of supplying remote desert pastures with water and energy year-round.
Turkmenistan is rich in solar energy and desert sand, which contains silicon. The country aims to export silicon, the main chemical ingredient for solar equipment, to world markets.
In Turkmenistan, the sun shines for up to 16 hours in July. The energy of sunlight falling on 1m2 is 800 watts. Approximately 300 days a year are sunny here, with 2.500-3.000 hours of sunshine.
A study by UK-based PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) also points to significant potential.
"Potential scenario of 100% clean Renewable Energy Sources (RES) for Turkmenistan by 2050," PwC said.
The report notes that the prospects for renewable energy are essential, especially for large-scale photovoltaic installations in the country's southeast and onshore wind installations near the coast.
Credits: Eziz Boyarov, Ashgabat
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