Deputy Minister: Iran-Armenia 400 kWt high-voltage line construction will finish on September 1 2018

ArmInfo. Iran-Armenia 400kWt high-voltage construction will finish on September 1 2018, Hayk Harutyunyan, Armenian deputy Minister of Energetic Infrastructures and Natural Resources told the journalists during the press-conference in Yerevan on April 28.

According to him, because of bad weather conditions the implementation of the project has been delayed.  Nevertheless, main equipments are already in Armenia. "According to Iranian side data, the project will be finished on September 1 2018". Deputy Minister stressed.

Earlier ArmInfo reported that Armenia intends to create a regional electric power market with its partners in the region.  Armenian Deputy Minister of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources Areg Galstyan said in Parliament on October 26 that the need to create conditions for effective parallel activities of the power grids of Iran, Georgia, Armenia and Russia. The construction of Iran- Armenia and Armenia- Georgia high voltage power transmission lines will create all the necessary prerequisites for that. Both projects will be implemented by the end of 2019. At the same time, Georgia is negotiating with Russia on construction of a new 500KV power

transmission line and substations, which will enable not only reciprocal cross-flows of electric power, but also commercial deals. At the moment, a coordination group at the level of deputy ministers of the four countries is actively working to launch the projects. By late 2019 the 1 thsd MW North-South energy corridor will operate at full capacity. He stressed that Armenia will both economically and politically benefit even from electric power transit. To note, SUNIR (Iran) has received official permit to build a 400KV Iran-Armenia power transmission line. The relevant decision was taken during the Government's meeting on April 28. The permit was provided under the memorandum signed between Armenia and Iran in May 2006. To recall, the Armenian Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources and the Export Development Bank of Iran signed the agreement on construction of 400KV Iran-Armenia power transmission line in August 2015. The total cost of the project is 107.9 mln EUR.  The Iranian Bank will provide 77% of the amount, with the remaining 23% to be provided by the general contractor - SUNIR. The total length will be 279km. The line will be laid from Meghri to Hrazdan, where a 440/220KV substation will be built 10 km away from the Hrazdan TPP. From the latter a new 400KV power transmission line will be laid to Georgia under another project (at the expense of a KfW loan with co- financing of EIB and the EU.  The total financing will be 105.2 mln EUR).