The construction of the 400-kilovolt third high-voltage power line Iran-Armenia will be completed in 2019

ArmInfo. The construction  of 400-kilovolt third high-voltage power transmission line  Iran-Armenia will be completed in 2019. On February 13, Deputy  Minister of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources Hayk  Harutyunyan stated at a meeting with journalists.

According to him, construction works at this facility are being  carried out at an active pace - 166 bases have been dug for the  installation of poles, of which 140 have already been concreted, and  80 have been assembled. In parallel, work is under way to build a  400-kV Noravan electrical substation. This year, the deputy minister  continued, the main volume will be completed, and commissioning of  the facility is scheduled for 2019.

As for the fourth power transmission line Armenia-Georgia, then, as  the deputy minister noted, negotiations with partners are now under  way to change the structure and financing scheme of the project. This  is necessary to increase the efficiency of the program and reduce the  burden of external debt. As previously informed ArmInfo, the  consultant of the construction project of the electricity  transmission line Armenia- Georgia - the company "Fichtner GmbH & Co.  KG" - has prepared a tender package for the selection of the general  contractor. The project itself is planned to be implemented in three  phases. Sources of funding for the first two phases are already  known. Within the first two stages, it is planned to build the power  transmission line itself with a voltage of 400 kilovolts and two DC  substations in Ddmashen and Ayrum, which will allow starting work  with the electric power system of Georgia in asynchronous mode. Prior  to this, the impact of the project on the environment and social  impact was assessed. This work is planned to be completed before the  end of this year, after which construction work will start. Within  the framework of the project it is planned to unite the electric  power systems of Armenia and Georgia, which will promote the  development of mutually beneficial regional cooperation within the  framework of the created energy corridor Iran-Armenia-Georgia-Russia.  The preliminary cost of the program, according to the company  FICHTNER will be 326.9 million euros, 10% of which is part of the  contribution of Georgia. The project is planned to be implemented in  several stages. At the first stage, it is planned to build a  converter substation in Ayrum and a 500 kilovolt air line with a  length of 8 km towards Georgia. The second stage involves the  construction of a 400-kilovolt electrical substation with a single  transformer at the village of Ddmashen and a 400-kilovolt air-line,  which will enable the exchange of 350 megawatts of electricity. Then  a module will be installed in Ayrum, and a second transformer will be  installed in Ddmashen to support a capacity of 700 megawatts. Based  on the requirements of market and regional cooperation, at the final  stage, the third stage will install the second DC module, which will  make it possible to increase capacity to 1,050 megawatts.  The first  two phases of the program are estimated at 188.2 million euros.  Sources of the necessary funds for their financing have already been  determined. To this end, in 2014-2015, three loan agreements were  signed. In particular, 168 million euros were allocated by the German  bank KfW as a loan, the European Investment Bank provided another 10  million euros. It is expected to receive another 10 million euros in  the form of a grant from the European Commission. The first two  stages of the program are envisaged to be implemented in parallel  mode. The works are carried out in accordance with the established  schedule, according to which construction work will begin in late  2017 and will be completed by the end of 2019. At the same time, the  program of construction of the third 400-kilovolt Iran-Armenia power  line is being implemented, the cost of which is $ 107. The funds are  provided by the Iranian side, for which Armenia will pay with  electricity supplies. The project is also planned to be completed in  2019.