Written by journalist Danylo Aleksandrov

During the opening of Baku Energy Week 2026, the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliev spoke how the world cannot currently exist without fossil fuels, at the same time saying that investments in renewable energy should be a criteria by which to judge countries.

Aliev emphasized the role of his country in the global energy market, saying that it is hard to predict how the European energy market would look like if not for the South Caucasus. The region is becoming more important as geopolitically in context of European efforts to diversify its energy.

Baku Energy Week 2026 opened on Monday, and the discussions there were centered not just around the usual topics related to energy like gas, emissions and the relation of energy and politics, but also what changes are brought with the introduction of Artificial Intelligence and the role that it might play in the future of energy. Technology which combines energy extraction and AI was presented at the forum as something that can enhance output – something critical in time when the supply and prices can become volatile.

Green transition also received much attention. Several technologies such as digital emission monitoring, leak detection and carbon management were presented. The effort to minimize methane emission was discussed as it is currently believed that it is one of the fastest and at the same time commercially viable solution to greenhouse emissions. Not only that, it is also hailed as a method to reduce waste and financial losses, also offering more care for the Earth’s climate.

The role of Azerbaijan as an emerging energy hub was repeatedly underlined. The country’s energy sector was praised for the level of digitaliaztion and automation introduced. Also, the crucial position of Azerbaijan in European efforts to diversify its energy supply was praised. A number of countries, for example Bulgaria and Moldova, receive a large share of its gas from Azerbaijan. These supplies enable European countries to carry on with their diversification efforts in light of Russian full scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in 2022, and the more recent US and Israel opearion against Iran, both of which made energy supply volatile.

Baku Energy Week 2026 is expected to proceed until the end of the week with a number of new discussions concerning various topics expected.