From April 2025 through March 2026, Azerbaijan’s electricity consumption was dominated by fossil fuels, which supplied about 85% of the total—almost entirely gas. Low-carbon sources provided the remaining 15%, or roughly one-seventh. Hydropower supplied about 13% of electricity, while wind contributed around 1.4%. This leaves Azerbaijan heavily dependent on fossil electricity, with considerable scope to expand clean generation and reduce the climate impacts and air pollution associated with fossil fuels.

Is Electricity Growing in Azerbaijan?

The latest figures do not demonstrate sustained electricity growth: in 2026, consumption stood at about 2,525 kWh per person, roughly 800 kWh—or 24%—below the historic record of 3,329 kWh reached in 1988. Low-carbon electricity generation was much closer to its previous peak, at 370 kWh per person compared with 377 kWh in 2010, a shortfall of about 2%. These comparisons cannot establish whether electricity grew in the latest year, but they show that overall consumption remains well below its historic high and clean generation has yet to surpass its earlier record. That is a disappointing backdrop to the need for more clean electricity to support electrification and growing demand, including from AI.

Suggestions

Azerbaijan can increase low-carbon electricity generation by prioritizing solar, expanding wind, and considering a nuclear power programme. Nearby Turkey offers a relevant example, generating about 12% of its electricity from solar and another 12% from wind. Solar’s larger contributions in places such as Pakistan, at 24%, and the US state of Nevada, at 35%, illustrate the potential for a much stronger solar contribution. For nuclear, regional examples include Armenia, where it supplies about 29% of electricity, and the United Arab Emirates, where it provides 20%; France demonstrates the scale achievable with nuclear at around two-thirds. Azerbaijan could learn from these regions’ experience in deploying generation, developing skilled workforces, and expanding electricity grids, combining solar and wind growth with firm low-carbon nuclear generation.

History

Historically, Azerbaijan’s low-carbon electricity changes have been driven mainly by hydropower. Output fell by 0.5 TWh in 1986, then increased by 1 TWh in 1990 and 0.7 TWh in 1993, before declines in 1994 and 1999. Early-2000s gains totalled 1.1 TWh across 2002 and 2003, followed by a 0.5 TWh fall in 2006. A strong 1.1 TWh increase in 2010 was more than reversed by consecutive declines totalling 2 TWh during 2011–2013. Modest gains in 2015 and 2016 preceded another decline in 2020, but the more recent direction is encouraging: hydro increased by 0.3 TWh in 2022, 1.3 TWh in 2024, and 0.5 TWh in 2025. Clean electricity growth also began to broaden beyond hydro, with solar adding 0.3 TWh in 2024 and wind adding 0.4 TWh in 2026.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

* 12M = Last 12 months (Apr 2025 – Mar 2026) — a rolling 12-month period, not a calendar year.