President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev attended the inauguration ceremony of the Ashagi Malibeyli and Mirik hydroelectric power plants (HPPs), operated by AzerEnerji Open Joint-Stock Company (OJSC), in Lachin on May 27.

Baba Rzayev, Chairman of AzerEnerji OJSC, first briefed the President on ongoing hydro-green energy projects across the Karabakh and East Zangezur economic regions. With 32 power plants already operational and an additional 6 poised for commissioning, the total number of hydroelectric plants has reached 38, with a combined capacity of 307 MW. The green energy generated by these plants is projected to save up to 200 million cubic meters of natural gas annually, preventing the release of approximately 400,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.

The President then received detailed information on the Ashagi Malibeyli and Mirik hydroelectric plants. Both plants were built on the section of the Zabukh River—a right-bank tributary of the Hakari River—flowing through the territories of the villages of Malibeyli and Mirik in the Lachin district. The Ashagi Malibeyli HPP (3.1 MW capacity) and the Mirik HPP (3.5 MW capacity) are equipped with cutting-edge technology and integrated into the nation's centralized SCADA system via fiber-optic cable networks. These plants are projected to generate 20 million kilowatt-hours of green energy annually, resulting in savings of 4.3 million cubic meters of natural gas and preventing the release of 8,000 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year. Residents of Lachin will be employed at the newly commissioned power plants.

President Ilham Aliyev officially launched the Ashagi Malibeyli and Mirik hydroelectric power plants.