Minister: implementation of Shnokh hydro power station construction project will enable Armenia to increase the hydropower potential of the republic

ArmInfo. The implementation of the construction project of the Shnokh hydro-electric power plant  on the Debed River will allow Armenia to increase the hydropower potential of the republic. On June 14, during the meeting with the US Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia Richard Mills, the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Armenia Ashot Manukyan, whose words are quoted by the press service of the ministry, said. According to the source, the installed capacity of the station should be 76 MW. According to preliminary estimates, the cost of the project is $ 150 million. According to the Minister, the project will give an opportunity to create new jobs in the Lori district. In his turn, the US ambassador noted the interest shown by American companies in the energy sector of Armenia. The diplomat expressed his readiness to present this project to American companies. In an interview with ArmInfo, Hayk Badalyan, head of the energy department of the Ministry of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources of Armenia, said that the search for investors is taking place on all the sites and levels on the Shnokh and Lori-Berdskaya HPPs. In this issue, the head of the department continued, in addition to solving technical and environmental issues, it is important to determine the possible impact of these projects on the final tariff for the consumer.