ArmInfo. The Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Armenia, Ashot Manukyan, accepted a World Bank mission led by Abdulaziz Faghi on December 7.According to the press service of power economy Ministry, the parties discussed the programs supported by the Bank and the opportunities for further cooperation. Ashot Manukyan highly appreciated the role of the Bank in assisting the energy sector of Armenia and enhancing the reliability of the power transmission network.
The parties referred to the issues related to the process of implementing substation reconstruction projects and their financing. It was noted that the reconstruction of substations is of great importance for the energy system of Armenia in terms of implementing regional programs. Without their modernization, it will be impossible to cope with the expected flows in the coming years. "After the launch of the Iran-Armenia high-voltage line, the possibility of electricity export will be increased three-fold." In this context, the construction of the substation at the Yerevan Thermal Power Plant is of strategic importance and will also serve the second power unit of the Yerevan TPP, "Ashot Manukyan said. Touching upon the program of financial rehabilitation of the energy system implemented with the assistance of the World Bank, the representative of the WB Armenian office Arthur Kochkanyan expressed his satisfaction with the process and results, noting that all the planned indicators have been fully implemented. The four-way memorandum between Armenia, Georgia, Iran and Russia, providing for increasing the level of management of electricity flows, security and reliability of power systems, was signed on December 23, 2015 in Yerevan. According to the RA Ministry of Energy, the fact that the energy systems of the four countries operate in parallel synchronous mode contributes to the creation of an enabling environment for cooperation. In particular, it is envisaged to commission the fourth power transmission line Armenia- Georgia with the capacity of 400-500 kW by the end of 2019.