Wednesday, November 15 2017 17:25

ArmInfo. The Ministry of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources of Armenia initiates a number of legislative reforms that will allow medium and large consumers to generate electricity for their own needs.

According to the Ministry of Energy, measures will be taken to support the popularization of autonomous power production. To this end, the Ministry intends to amend the RA laws "On Renewable Energy and Energy Saving" and "On Energy". The proposed legislative initiative has already been approved by the government.

As Deputy Minister Hayk Harutyunyan explained, for large consumers to be given the opportunity to produce electricity for their own needs, it is proposed to review the current permissible threshold of electricity generation. According to the current procedure, individuals and legal entities can install independent solar plants with a capacity of 150 kW/h, produce electricity, and sell the surpluses to CJSC "Electric Networks of Armenia". According to the deputy minister, this threshold is not adequate for large electricity consumers. Thus, it is proposed to increase the permissible threshold to 500 kW/h.

At the same time, within the framework of the envisaged amendments to the Law on Renewable Energy and Energy Saving, regulation of electricity flows between autonomous producers using renewable energy sources and a person having a license for electric power distribution is provided.

The method of calculating the amount of compensation is also changing. Annual compensation is to change the monthly compensation. According to the draft changes, at the end of the year the distributing company will calculate the flows and only then begin to pay the proper compensation.

Due to the proposed amendments, Hayk Harutyunyan believes that autonomous power producers will be able to install solar cells with a larger capacity, also for heating purposes. "Thus, there will be an opportunity to produce electricity and store for networks in the summer, and to get back at the same price in the winter." The current procedure did not provide for such an opportunity, as monthly compensation for generated electricity was carried out," said Deputy Minister of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources of Armenia. Earlier, Armenia adopted the "Concept for Ensuring Armenia's Energy Security".  According to it, by 2020 renewable sources will cover 20% of all consumed energy in Armenia, and by 2026 - all 50%. The government plans to reduce energy consumption by 38% and, accordingly, energy costs until 2020. In Armenia, all conditions have been created for the installation of solar power plants. Not only are licenses not required, but the entire process is exempt from taxes. All the conditions for investing in this sphere have been created.

One of these days the launch of the largest solar power station in Armenia in 1 MW in the city of Talin, Aragatsotn was held. The volume of investments invested in the project amounted to $ 1 million. The power plant covers an area of 1,800 square meters, and its nominal capacity reaches 1 MW, which is enough to provide electricity to 400 families. A month earlier, the first industrial power plant in Tsakhkadzor with a nominal capacity of 450 kW was put into operation in late September. In the process of construction of another 9 similar power generation stations. The Ministry of Energy plans to launch them in 2018. According to the investment program approved by the government of the country, it is planned to build solar stations in Armenia at 6 sites with a total installed capacity of up to 110 MW. At the first stage, a site near the "Masrik" community was chosen, where a solar station with a capacity of 55 MW will be built. The total cost of the program for the construction of solar power stations in Armenia is $ 129 million.