Names of bidders participating to international tender procedure on high voltage plants construction for Armenia-Georgia High Voltage Line to be announced in early February

ArmInfo. In the first  decade of February names of  bidders participating to the  international tender procedure on high voltage  plants construction  for Armenia-Georgia High Voltage Linewill  announced. The project is  implemented under the funds of KfW German Bank.

 According to Hayk  Haroutyunyan, the Head of  the Energy Infrastructure and Natural  Resources Ministry Department of Development and Investments  Projects, stated by  the press office of the Ministry, the deadline  for bids submission in respect to the tendering procedure on power  subplants construction is set as February 6, and  on high voltage  lines - as February 8. As it is known,  the project implementation  purpose is the unification of electric networks of Armenia and  Georgia by  building  power lines and power substation in Ajrum. The  unification should  connect the substation in Georgian town of  Marneuli, having 50 kVt capacity. In the result in 2019 the volumes  of mutual flows of power energy will increase from actual 200 mWt to  350 mWt. In respect to implementation of the first stage of the  project an amount of EUR 188 mln will be allocated. The project will  continue also at the second stage, and the mutual flows volumes will  be increased up oto 700 mWt, and the third - final-stage assumes the  increase up to 1050 mWt. This construction will give an option to  involve in this power corridor Armenia, Russia, Georgia and Iran. 

 To remind, Georgia plans  to build a 500KV Power Line Marneuli  (Georgia) - Ayrum (Armenia) by 2018 as part of the trans-boundary  infrastructure development plans, 

 Business Georgia writes referring to the Georgian Energy Ministry's  strategy for 2016-2025.  In addition to it, Georgian plans to build a  500KV Power Line Ksani-Stepantsminda-Mozdok within 5 years, and a  400KV Power Line Akhaltsikha (Georgia) - Tortum (Turkey) by 2019.  Under its energy strategy, Georgia plans to double its  interconnecting mains with the power system of its neighbor-countries  within 10 years.  In particular, the interconnecting mains will be  increased to 700MW, with Russia and Turkey - to 1,400MW, with  Azerbaijan it already has power transmission capacities of up to  1,000MW.  Under the energy strategy of Georgia, interconnection lines  in the territory of Georgia will be developed in the direction from  the North to the South (Russia-Armenia-Iran and back) and from the  East to the West (from Azerbaijan to Turkey). Georgia imported  86.5mln kWh electric power from Armenia in 2015 (a 41.2-fold growth),  and exported 70.9mln kWh electric power to Armenia (down 49.5%). 

In the meantime, it should be recalled that Fichtner GmbH & Co.  KG,  the Armenia-Georgian Power Line project consultant, will prepare a  tender package to choose the general contractor of Armenia-Georgia  power transmission line project by the end of 2016, Deputy Energy  Minister of Armenia Areg Galstyan told ArmInfo yet in April. 

 According to him, it is planned to implement the project in three  phases, the sources of financing of the first two phases are already  known.  The first two phases are estimated at 188.2mln EUR. To that  end, three credit agreements were signed in 2014- 2015. In  particular, German KfW Bank issued a 168mln EUR loan for the given   purpose, European Investment Bank issued a 10mln EUR loan, and the  European Commission is expected to provide a 10mln EUR grant.  The  first two phases will be implemented simultaneously starting in 2017  and completing by the end of 2018.