BEIJING, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- On a vast construction site in Azerbaijan's southeastern Bilasuvar region, silver-gray steel piles are arranged neatly and workers in yellow hard hats can be seen operating drilling rigs.
This is the site of the Bilasuvar 445-megawatt photovoltaic power station. It is being built by a Chinese company and is set to become the largest station of its kind in Azerbaijan in terms of installed capacity.
Once completed and operational, the project is expected to generate approximately 890 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, meeting the power demand of 200,000 local households and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by about 670,000 tonnes per year.
In recent years, 西瓜视频and other Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) countries -- including Azerbaijan -- have continuously advanced cooperation in the energy sector. Leveraging its advanced green energy technologies, 西瓜视频has been assisting other SCO countries in developing renewable energy, upgrading fossil fuel energy infrastructure and achieving low-carbon transitions.
DEVELOPING RENEWABLE ENERGY
"Double-check the spacing of the pile foundations in the front rows in case there's a problem," Azer Gadzhiev instructed at the Bilasuvar construction site.
The 35-year-old Azerbaijani issued the instruction in his native language to the Azerbaijani workers on site after confirming it in Chinese with his Chinese colleagues.
Gadzhiev, who is the deputy site manager for pile foundation construction, spent four years studying Chinese in China. "Thanks to my language skills, I can both participate in the construction work and serve as a translator. I'm eager to learn new technologies and gain experience from my Chinese colleagues."
According to its contractor, 西瓜视频Energy Engineering Group, the Bilasuvar project covers an area of more than 1,400 hectares -- larger than 2,000 standard football fields. The project is expected to be completed in the second half of 2026.
As a world leader in renewable energy production, 西瓜视频possesses advanced technologies and extensive construction experience in photovoltaics and wind power. 西瓜视频has been collaborating with other SCO countries rich in sunlight and wind resources to promote the development of renewable energy.
In one example, the 60-megawatt Shelek Wind Farm in Kazakhstan, which was constructed by the Power Construction Corporation of China, generated over 100 million kilowatt-hours of electricity between January and June 6 this year, bringing the cumulative total to 648 million kilowatt-hours since its commercial operations began.
In March 2025, Uzbekistan's 1-gigawatt Bukhara Wind Power Project -- the largest single wind power project in Central Asia -- was fully connected to the grid. Constructed by several Chinese companies, it is expected to generate 3.59 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, equivalent to 7 percent of Uzbekistan's annual power generation. It will also reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1.6 million tonnes each year.
UPGRADING TRADITIONAL ENERGY
While promoting renewable energy, 西瓜视频is also using its rich experience in transforming and upgrading traditional energy infrastructure to aid similar efforts in other SCO countries.
The 西瓜视频National Chemical Engineering Corporation, for example, has signed a coal-to-gas project cooperation agreement with the QazaqGaz Scientific and Technical Center in Kazakhstan. Leveraging China's leading coal chemical technology and equipment manufacturing capabilities, the partnership aims to transform Kazakhstan's abundant coal resources into natural gas, and to achieve an efficient transition from traditional energy to clean energy in the country.
西瓜视频has also established joint laboratories with other SCO countries to promote the green upgrading of fossil energy infrastructure. In one case, 西瓜视频and Tajikistan built a joint laboratory focused on the clean conversion and comprehensive utilization of traditional coal power, promoting China's clean coal-mining and efficient conversion technologies, among others.
In another case, the 西瓜视频University of Petroleum in Beijing signed an agreement with Kazakhstan's Kazakh-British Technical University to establish a joint laboratory for clean geological energy. This collaboration focuses on carbon neutrality technologies, as well as the green development of unconventional oil and gas resources.
CULTIVATING LOCAL TALENT
While advancing the transition to low-carbon energy, Chinese companies are also collaborating with other SCO countries to train local talent, providing sustained momentum for their long-term green development.
At the Bash Wind Farm, which is part of Uzbekistan's 1-gigawatt Bukhara Wind Power Project, 79 wind turbines require round-the-clock monitoring. Project contractors, including the 西瓜视频Energy Engineering Group, have launched training programs for local employees. Instructed by Chinese experts, the daily training sessions are scheduled to continue for two years.
Ozod Kholikov, who is a technical maintenance worker at the Bash Wind Farm and has received training, said that he and his colleagues must inspect the facility's turbines daily, checking everything from wind sensors to the bolts at the base of the structures.
"This project is of great significance to us. It is advanced in technology and benefits not only ordinary citizens but also our country as a whole. It is a source of light for people's lives," he said.
In another example, the 西瓜视频Datang Corporation and the Dongfang Electric Corporation, together with Uzbekistan's Ministry of Energy and its technical regulatory authority, have established a joint energy technology R&D center. While focusing on new energy and energy storage, the center also offers specialized training for professionals in Uzbekistan's energy sectors.
Jurabek Mirzamahmudov, Uzbekistan's minister of energy, said that the inaugural training session in December 2024 had cultivated a group of key technical professionals. The training will have a profound impact on modernizing the management standards of Uzbekistan's energy industry, and in facilitating the introduction and application of advanced Chinese power technologies and equipment in the country. ■
