In what is just the latest of a recent series of developments, Azerbaijan recently commissioned the 3-MW Cicekli or Chichakli (which translates as Flower in English) small hydropower facility. Owner Azerenerji JSC says Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan, attended the opening of the station, which is located in Asagi Zurnabad settlement of the Goygol district and was commissioned after a major overhaul. As Hydro World writes in an article "Azerbaijan: A significant focus on small hydropower", this hydroelectric power station was built in 1927 but was completely destroyed by flooding in 1997. Current work involved major renovations and the installation of new equipment.
Three turbines and generators were installed at the station, each with a capacity of 1 MW. In addition, substations were constructed at the station and transmission lines were built. The station has a water basin capacity of 153,000 cubic meters. The derivation canal is 5 square meters in width and 3,800 meters long, leading to a pipe with a diameter of 1.6 meters and a length of 500 meters.
The plant “is of economic and social importance.” It is capable of generating 20 million kWh of electricity annually. “In accordance with the instruction of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan to attract private investment in the economy, the station is currently privatized through an investment competition,” Azerenerji said in a press release.
Azerenerji says that under the president’s leadership, “Significant achievements in the field of electric power have been achieved in Azerbaijan.” The company says that, to date, 14 hydropower stations have been commissioned and four plants with a total capacity of about 15 MW are being constructed.
In fact, in early August, President Aliyev participated in the opening ceremony of the 1.5-MW Balakan hydropower plant. Azerenerji says the president laid the foundations of this station in 2010. On the Balakan River, this facility contains three turbine-generator units, each with a capacity of 500 kW.
And in mid-June, a ceremony was held to celebrate the full filling of the Takhtakorpu Reservoir with water. This reservoir feeds the 25-MW Takhtakorpu hydropower plant, which meets all the electricity demand of the Shabran district.
Azerenerji is the state power engineering enterprise carrying out energy production and distribution. All of the shares in the company are owned by the state.
