Azerbaijan has started the installation of large-scale Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) to aid the rapid growth of renewable energy sources, according to Azerenerji.

The battery storage facilities, the largest of their kind in terms of capacity and power across the CIS, are being installed near the capital at the 500 kV Absheron substation and in the central part of the country at the 220 kV Agdash substation, The Caspian Post reports citing local media.

The centers will have a total capacity of 250 megawatts and an energy storage volume of 500 megawatt-hours. The first batch of battery systems has already been delivered to Azerbaijan. Manufactured to order at China’s Great Power plant, the equipment was shipped by sea via the Pacific and Indian oceans, the Red Sea, the Suez Canal, the Mediterranean and Aegean seas to Türkiye’s Gemlik Port, and then transported overland through Türkiye and Georgia to Azerbaijan.

Each battery unit weighs 36 tons and was delivered to its designated site under police escort for installation. So far, 15% of the systems have been brought into the country, with the remaining 85% expected to be delivered and installed by April.

According to AzerEnerji, the creation of battery storage centers is strategically important for increasing the stability of the energy system, maintaining frequency balance, compensating for fluctuations in renewable energy generation, covering peak loads, smoothing demand during periods of reduced solar output, and restoring the power system from scratch in emergency situations.

These systems are expected to strengthen Azerbaijan’s energy independence and ensure the reliable operation of the national grid, both in parallel with neighboring countries and in independent mode.