From April 2025 through March 2026, Azerbaijan’s electricity consumption was overwhelmingly supplied by fossil fuels: about 85%, almost entirely gas. Low-carbon sources supplied the remaining 15%, with hydropower contributing about 13% and wind around 1.4%. This leaves Azerbaijan heavily dependent on fossil electricity, making the expansion of clean electricity important for reducing climate-changing emissions and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in Azerbaijan?

The latest figures do not establish whether electricity consumption is growing year to year, but they show that Azerbaijan remains well below its historical peak. Electricity consumption in 2026 was about 2,525 kWh per person, roughly 800 kWh—or 24%—below the record of 3,329 kWh in 1988. Low-carbon electricity generation was about 370 kWh per person, just below its 2010 record of 377 kWh. This near-stagnation in clean electricity per person is concerning: Azerbaijan needs sustained growth to support electrification and emerging demand, including from AI.

Suggestions

Azerbaijan can increase low-carbon electricity generation by expanding solar and wind while considering a nuclear electricity programme. Nearby Armenia provides a relevant example, generating about 29% of its electricity from nuclear, while the United Arab Emirates generates 20% from nuclear, demonstrating its contribution in another hydrocarbon-producing region. Turkey offers a regional example for solar and wind, which supply about 11% and 12% of its electricity respectively. For stronger solar benchmarks, Azerbaijan can look to Spain, where solar supplies 23%, and the US state of Nevada, where it supplies 35%. Learning from these regions through technical cooperation, investment and grid expansion could help Azerbaijan build a larger, more diversified clean electricity supply.

History

Azerbaijan’s low-carbon electricity history has largely been shaped by fluctuations in hydropower. Generation fell by 0.5 TWh in 1986, then increased by 1 TWh in 1990 and 0.7 TWh in 1993, before declining again in 1994 and 1999. Gains totalling 1.1 TWh in 2002–2003 were followed by a 0.5 TWh decline in 2006. A strong 1.1 TWh increase in 2010 was more than reversed by declines totalling 2 TWh during 2011–2013; modest gains in 2015–2016 preceded another decline in 2020. More recently, the picture has become encouraging: hydropower increased by 0.3 TWh in 2022, 1.3 TWh in 2024 and 0.5 TWh in 2025, alongside a 0.3 TWh solar increase in 2024 and a 0.4 TWh wind increase in 2026. These recent additions are welcome steps toward sustained clean electricity growth.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

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