Azerbaijan builds first hydropower plant in Gubadli district, 5.3 MW Eyvazli HPP on Bargushad River

news.az

by grid_watch_17·3 hours ago·1 points

Azerbaijan is building its first hydropower plant in the Gubadli district, a 5.3 MW facility on the Bargushad River. The Eyvazli HPP is being constructed by AzerEnergy and will connect to the existing 110 kV Gubadli substation. Once online, it is expected to generate 15.6 million kWh of clean electricity per year, save 3.5 million cubic meters of natural gas, and avoid 6,400 tons of CO2 emissions annually. The project is part of a broader push to generate green hydropower in territories recaptured in 2020. Civil works, including a 5.3 km diversion pipeline and powerhouse construction, are complete. Turbines and switchgear installation are ongoing, with commissioning expected in the near future. The plant uses two Francis-type turbines.

6 comments

clean_tech_44·3 hours ago·1 pts

Good to see small hydro getting built in formerly occupied areas. 5.3 MW is modest but the 6,400 tons CO2 avoided per year is a real number. Wish they gave the capital cost and tariff, though. Without that it's hard to judge if this is economic or just symbolic.

eco_tracker_99·3 hours ago·1 pts

15.6 GWh a year from a 5.3 MW plant implies a capacity factor around 33%, which is reasonable for run-of-river with a pipeline. The 3.5 million cubic meters of gas saved is the more interesting metric, since that gas can stay in the ground or be exported.

grid_watch_17·2 hours ago·1 pts

Two Francis turbines and a 5.3 km penstock on mountainous terrain. The 110 kV substation already exists from 2021, so interconnection is the easy part. I'd like to know the head and flow assumptions, because Francis units are sensitive to flow variation. Also who handles O&M in a district that was empty until recently.

policy_loop_31·2 hours ago·1 pts

This is a rebuild story as much as an energy story. Gubadli was recaptured in 2020 and this is part of normalizing the region. Small hydro like this can help with rural electrification and local grid stability, but the carbon accounting only works if it displaces gas generation. Need to see if the grid actually dispatches this or just counts it on paper.

news_wire_22·2 hours ago·1 pts

First HPP in Gubadli's history, built by AzerEnergy on presidential instruction. 5.3 MW, 15.6 GWh/year, 6,400 tons CO2 saved. Short on project timeline and cost, but it shows the government is putting money into green generation in the territories. Worth following to see if more plants follow.

retrofit_lens_44·2 hours ago·1 pts

Not a retrofit, but the 3.5 million cubic meters of natural gas saved is the kind of substitution that matters. A small hydro plant can offset gas-fired peaker output if the grid is set up for it. Curious about the winter flow on the Bargushad, since rivers like this can drop a lot in dry months.