OFFICIAL NEWS

PRESIDENT ILHAM ALIYEV ATTENDS INAUGURATION OF MODULAR POWER PLANT IN BAKU

22.02.2007 [20:50]
Print
A⁺ A^-

Today, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has attended an inauguration ceremony of modular power plant built in Nizami district in Baku.

The 104-megawatt station consisting of 12 units with an output of 8.7 MW each, will substantially improve the safety and

quality of power supply in the Absheron peninsula, including the city of Baku. It will also reduce the amount of electricity transmitted from the west of the country to the peninsula.

General contractor on the project is Wartsila Finland OY, and subcontractors are Swedish company ABB (electric equipment) and local Azenko (construction works).

President Ilham Aliyev was acquainted with the station’s

administration building, where he viewed an exposition of photographs depicting national leader Heydar Aliyev attending the foundation laying and opening ceremonies in various regions of Azerbaijan in 1970, 1990 and 2000, as well as books and other materials covering his life and activities including those aiming at development of the country’s power energy sector.

The exposition also included photographs reflecting President Ilham Aliyev’s visits to Astara (September, 2005), Shaki (October, 2006) and Khachmaz (December, 2006), where he inaugurated modular power plants.

The President signed the guest book, and toured the station. Accompanying him the head of the Joint Stock Company “Azerenerjy” Etibar Perverdiev advised that facilities of the 104 MW station, which covers the area of

700 square meters, include: administration building, 1100 meters long drainage canal, 1150 meters long technical and drinking water-supply, 2 kilometers long 110 KV electricity transmission line and 500 meters long gas pipe line. He added that with the efficiency of 46%, the station to employ over 100 people is capable to generate 700 million kwh per year.

President Ilham Aliyev pressed the start button symbolically launching the station.

After that, addressing the constructors gathered for the ceremony, he said:

I congratulate you on the station’s launching. It is very good station. It is the fifth modular plant built in Azerbaijan over the past year, and will strengthen our power energy system. It demonstrates that Azerbaijan has a huge potential.

Since we have managed to launch five stations just in a year, we can solve any problem. Now I have set the goal to have the whole energy system upgraded for a short period of time. New lines should be laid. Large enough number of stations has already been built. Another station is being built in Sumgait, and they are going to be built in Baku and Sangachal. Now we should focus on restoration and re-laying of the lines, and changing transformers. There is a great need for doing these jobs, because, unfortunately, no due attention has been paid to this sector before.

The foreign company operating Azerbaijan, Baku electricity network, as a matter of fact, destroyed our power distribution system.

Now we have to restore it, and huge funds have been allocated for that. I hope through 2007-2008, our entire power system will be brought to the high standard. It is possible; we set aside funds for that.

Hundreds of millions of dollars have been allocated to build these stations. We will do so in the coming years as well. We should do it in such a way that we would not have problems with power supply. Our demand is growing with growing population and the number of new businesses: light is needed everywhere.

Indeed, there have been serious advancements in this area over the past years, but it does not satisfy us completely. So, we should do it deliberately. We have a long-term program; it has been adopted recently. Now the most important thing is implementation of this program, and we should do it. We will certainly do it, because our financial possibilities keep growing.

I thank you, and all those involved in the construction since you managed, over a short period of time, to build the station and place it at the disposal of the residents of Baku.

I wish you fruitful work and further contributions to strengthening of our country. Congratulations again!

Thank you.