Azerbaijan has great potential and the right conditions for the development of alternative and renewable energy, head of the European Union in Azerbaijan Roland Kobia said at a press conference at the state agency on alternative and renewable sources of energy in Baku on Thursday.
"Despite the large oil and gas resources of Azerbaijan, development of alternative energy is important because hydrocarbon resources are non-renewable," Kobia said.
He noted that the development of alternative energy in Azerbaijan is also important from the standpoint of environmental safety and to ensure a healthy lifestyle of the population.
"The President pays great attention to the development of alternative and renewable energy sources in Azerbaijan, which are a new area for the country and very important," the Ambassador said.
This event is dedicated to the beginning of the second phase of the programme on the use of the European Commission's grant of 13 million euros to support the reform programme in the energy field.
It will produce an action plan for the development of alternative energy sources. It is also expected to improve legislation to improve energy efficiency and develop public financial management in this field as well as statistics in the energy sector.
Some three million euros from a grant was allocated in 2010 with another three million in 2011 and the remaining seven million is provided for 2012.
The Azerbaijani government is preparing a national programme on the use of alternative and renewable energy sources in Azerbaijan for 2012-2020 and the organisation of work within the framework of this strategy will allow the country to reach 20 per cent share of renewable energy in total energy consumption by 2020.
