Baku Climate Action Week Highlights Role of Renewable Energy Certificates in Regional Connectivity
Baku, The Gulf Observer: The fifth panel session of Baku Climate Action Week 2026 (BCAW 2026) focused on the role of Cross-border Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) in strengthening regional connectivity and facilitating transparent trade in renewable electricity.
Titled “Cross-border Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) for Regional Connectivity,” the session brought together policymakers, representatives of international organisations, development finance institutions and energy market experts to discuss mechanisms for building trusted and interoperable systems for renewable electricity trade across the South Caucasus, Black Sea region and Central Asia.
The session was moderated by Ashraf Shikhaliyev, Head of the International Cooperation Department at Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Energy.
Discussions focused on certification and tracking requirements for emerging regional green energy corridors, as well as the interoperability and mutual recognition of certification mechanisms between the European Union’s Guarantees of Origin (GO) system and regional and voluntary REC markets.
Participants also examined the institutional, regulatory and digital infrastructure required to establish credible national issuing bodies and interoperable registry systems capable of supporting regional renewable energy markets.
Keynote speakers included Orkhan Zeynalov, Deputy Minister of Energy of Azerbaijan; Rana Humbatova, Deputy Director of the Azerbaijan Renewable Energy Agency; Claire Marion Nicolas, Senior Energy Economist at the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP); Sebastian Salter, Director of Action Agenda Engagement at Australia’s Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW); Javahir Jafarli, Manager for Climate Change and Sustainability at Deloitte & Touche LLC; and Shihab Elborai, Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
The panel highlighted the importance of Renewable Energy Certificates and Guarantees of Origin in building trust and transparency in cross-border renewable electricity markets.
Participants discussed the need for greater compatibility and mutual recognition between the EU Guarantees of Origin framework and regional REC schemes, alongside effective certification and tracking systems to support the development of regional green energy corridors.
The speakers also stressed the importance of establishing credible national issuing authorities and interconnected registry systems, supported by harmonised regulatory and policy frameworks to facilitate cross-border REC trading.
The discussion further explored how renewable energy certification mechanisms can help mobilise investment, create market demand for clean electricity and support the development of integrated regional renewable energy markets.
The session underscored the growing importance of robust certification, digital tracking and regulatory cooperation in enabling countries across the region to expand renewable energy trade and advance their clean energy and climate objectives.
