ArmInfo. Tashir Group of Companies will reduce electricity tariff for low-income sections of population starting from July 1.
According to the statement of the Company, posted on June 20 on its official website, following the results of the talks with the Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan "Tashir" decided to provide partial refunds in the amount of 10 drams for 1 kWh from July 1 of this year to low-income sections of the population, consuming up to 250 kWh of electricity per month. The reimbursement costs will make up about 25-30% of the total electricity consumption level by the socially unprotected sectors of the population of the Republic and will be allocated from the funds of the Tashir Group of Companies.
"Support to low-income sectors of the population has always been a priority in the policy of social responsibility of the Tashir Group of Companies." The decision is a continuation of such an initiative implemented several years ago, "the company said in its statement, which also reminds that from August 2015 to July 2016 the Tashir Charitable Foundation and the Armenian government compensated the tariff increase for subscribers on a parity basis. Earlier, on June 8 it was reported that at the initiative of the Armenian government for the socially unsecured strata of the population, the tariff for electricity will be reduced by 10 drams. Head of the Armenian Ministry of Energy Artur Grigoryan stated at the meeting of the government that this will concern about 110-120 thousand citizens. According to him, for general revision of tariffs, there are risks for today. The first of them is connected with the excessive delay of preventive works at the Nuclear Power Plant. There are risks for reducing gas tariffs related to the price of "blue fuel" at the border. He also said that an agreement has been reached with the Tashir Group, which owns the Electricity Networks of Armenia, that the tariff reduction will be compensated at the expense of its income. To recall, the Tashir Group of Companies, headed by a large Russian businessman of Armenian origin Samvel Karapetyan, in September 2015 acquired two Armenian energy assets from the Russian power holding Inter RAO UES - ESA CJSC and Hrazdan TPP. The company has already announced its intention to invest in the energy sector of Armenia for more than $ 1 billion. The investments will be mainly carried out in two directions - distribution networks and electricity generation. The main investment in hydropower in the amount of $ 200 million will be the construction of the Shnokh HPP, which provides absolutely innovative approaches that will significantly increase the planned output from 76 MW to 120 MW. The project is implemented jointly with the American Robbins Company and the International Financial Corporation (part of the WB group). The station is planned to be completed in 4 years. The second major investment will be an investment of $ 900 million to modernize the company "Electric Networks of Armenia" to restore infrastructure, repair and modernize it. To implement the project from 2016, the company negotiated with the Asian Development Bank, and an agreement has already been signed to attract $ 160 million, as well as a Memorandum with the Eurasian Development Bank for $ 100 million. Negotiations are also under way with other international structures to attract investment.