Day: May 16, 2026

Home Offshore Wind Azerbaijan kicks off offshore wind measurement campaign with LiDAR deployed in Caspian Sea

May 15, 2026,
by

Adrijana Buljan

EOLOS Floating LiDAR Solutions has commissioned its FLS200 integrated floating LiDAR buoy at an offshore wind development site of Azerbaijan Green Energy Company (AGEC) in the Caspian Sea.

The Spanish floating LiDAR provider said the campaign was the first offshore wind site assessment initiative of its kind in the region.

EOLOS secured the contract in January 2026, following a tender for a turnkey offshore site measurement campaign. OWC, an ABL Group company, acted as technical advisor for the scope of work and procurement process, according to EOLOS.

“We are excited to witness the first tangible steps towards our diversification strategy. EOLOS consistently demonstrated their leading competence to deliver what we require and we have no doubt this dedication of high service will continue throughout the campaign,” said Ulkar Guliyeva, Project Manager at AGEC.

The contract was awarded under an agreement AGEC has with Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Energy to carry out preliminary research and preparatory work in the Caspian Sea.

As reported in December 2025, the Ministry of Energy entered into an agreement with Clean Energy Capital, a subsidiary of AGEC, for an assessment, development, and implementation of an offshore wind energy project with an initial capacity of 200 MW and a total capacity of 600 MW.

For the wind measurement campaign, EOLOS has deployed its Stage 3-accredited FLS200 system equipped with wind, metocean and biofouling monitoring equipment at the centre of the lease area, alongside seabed-located equipment providing duplicate current and wave measurements at the perimeter of the development area, the company said on 15 May.

The campaign is expected to last one year and aims to provide bank-grade datasets for turbine and foundation selection.

“This award reflects the rise of new markets that need to be fostered and attended to where experience can be carried over from more familiar geographies,” said Julian Harland, Sales Director at EOLOS.

The expiration effectively ends for now a brief period where the administration eased sanctions on some Russian oil, enabling purchases that would otherwise be barred. The Trump administration issued an initial waiver in March and a second after the first expired in April — both applying only to a subset of Russian oil that had already been loaded onto tankers. 

The waivers have been controversial, especially with European allies who see sanctions as essential to starving Russia of crude revenue and depriving Moscow funding for its war in Ukraine. Critics say the sanctions relief has served to enrich Moscow — even though it’s been limited to waterborne oil — especially as crude prices surge. 

But some countries, including India and Indonesia, had lobbied the Trump administration for extended sanctions waivers, as the Iran war and the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz deprive global markets of millions of barrels of crude daily. 

The Trump administration has also pivoted on the issue, responding to entreaties from countries heavily reliant on crude imports. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in April initially said the US would not renew the sanctions waiver allowing purchases of some Russian crude before ultimately issuing a new authorization two days later. 

He told a Senate panel the shift came after “more than 10 of the most vulnerable and poorest countries in terms of energy” approached him seeking an extension. Bessent has called the previous moves necessary to promote stability in global energy markets amid the Middle East conflict. 

Just as in April, lobbying from Asian allies and more tightness in the oil market could still prompt the administration to to issue a new waiver later.  

The administration allowed a separate temporary waiver enabling purchases of some Iranian crude to expire in April.

Brent crude, the global benchmark, has surged since the Iran war began, driving higher prices for gasoline, diesel and other products made from it. Supply disruptions tied to Hormuz also have sent some buyers scrambling for new cargoes, including from the US. 

The US government has taken several other steps to tame impacts from the energy shock, which the International Energy Agency has called the biggest supply disruption in the history of the oil market. The Trump administration is allowing foreign vessels to carry crude and other commodities between American ports through mid-August. It’s also temporarily waived some domestic fuel specifications.

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