ArmInfo. There are all prerequisites for turning Armenia into an energy hub. Acting Deputy Minister of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources Hayk Harutyunyan wrote on his Facebook page on May 7, summing up the results of the work done.
According to the Acting Deputy Minister, the volume of export of Armenian electricity increased by 17% in 2017, and in the first quarter of this year, compared to the same period in 2016, the volume of foreign supplies amounted to a record 60%. "The pace of electricity export growth is encouraging, thanks to intensive work with neighboring countries," Hayk Harutyunyan said. He added that the construction of the third high-voltage power transmission line Iran-Armenia is currently underway.
On this project, new agreements favorable for the Armenian side were reached. There are also views on both construction and sources of financing for the fourth power transmission line Armenia-Georgia. Earlier, ArmInfo reported that the technical commission on increasing the reliability of operation and efficiency of the electric power system of Armenia approved the terms of reference for the construction of a new power transmission line Armenia-Georgia at March 15 meeting. The technical task, the press service of the Ministry of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources of the Republic of Armenia reported, was developed by the German bank KfW, which is financing the program, and Fichtner, which won the tender to identify the project consultant. According to the terms of reference, the project is divided into several stages. At the first stage, it was planned to upgrade the electric substation with a voltage of 220 kW, build a new substation with a voltage of 400 kV, and also build a new overhead transmission line to the Georgian border. At the second stage it was planned to build an electrical substation with a voltage of 500 kW.
However, in order to increase the effectiveness of the program, it is now planned to use existing electric substations, whose modernization is less expensive than the construction of new ones. At the same time, already in the existing areas where the electric substation was planned to be built, a solar power station will be built, the construction costs of which will be reduced through the use of existing infrastructures. As a result, the cost of the entire construction program for the electricity transmission line Armenia-Georgia will be reduced by 30%. Moreover, the construction of a solar power plant will save another 20% of the funds. It was noted at the commission meeting that the first project should be completed no later than the third Iran-Armenia power line which is currently under construction. In general, the program for the construction of the Iran-Armenia power line should be completed in parallel with the second power unit of the Yerevan Thermal Power Plant.
Earlier it was also reported that the consultant of the construction project of the electricity transmission line Armenia-Georgia - the company Fichtner GmbH & Co. KG - prepared a tender package for the selection of the general contractor. The project itself was planned to be implemented in three stages. Sources of funding for the first two phases were 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 would allow starting work with the electric power system of Georgia in asynchronous mode.
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 is 326.9 million EUR, 10% of which is part of the contribution of Georgia. The first two phases of the program were estimated at 188.2 million EUR. To this end, in 2014-2015, three loan agreements were signed. In particular, 168 million EUR were allocated by the German bank KfW as a loan, another ? 10 million loan was granted by the European Investment Bank. It was expected to receive another 10 million in the form of a grant from the European Commission. The first two phases of the program were to be implemented in parallel. The work was planned to be completed by the end of 2019. Also by the end of 2019 it is planned to complete the construction of the Iran-Armenia electricity transmission line at a cost of $ 107 million, to establish the energy corridor "North-South".