Wednesday, March 6 2019 10:26

ArmInfo. Armenia and Iran announced the start of an investor selection procedure for a  construction project on the border Araks river of the Meghri  hydroelectric station.  According to a statement circulated by the  Ministry of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources of the  Republic of Armenia, in April 2019, Armenian-Iranian consultations on  this program will be held in Tehran. 

In this regard, the agency appeals to all interested potential  investors until April 5 of this year. submit their preliminary  proposals, as well as models of appropriate funding. It is envisaged  that during consultations, preference will be given to the investor,  from which the best model will be presented. After that, the investor  will be offered conditions for future cooperation. It is planned that  the investor will independently seek financial resources for the  construction, operation and management of the future hydropower  facility, he will also have to take over the solution of all  organizational issues. The construction should be completed within  five years, after which, within a guaranteed period of 15-20 years,  the electricity generated at the station should be sold to the  Iranian side. To this end, the investor will undertake the  construction of a 220-kilovolt transmission line with a length of 20  km in the direction of Iran, providing for the introduction of a  three-switch circuit at an electric substation in Agarak.

The installed capacity of the Megrinsk HPP will be 100 MW., And the  annual electricity production volumes will be equal to 750-800  million kW / h. The design pressure is 900 meters, the diameter of  the tunnel is 7.5 m, and the length is 18.2 km. The volume of capital  investments will be equal to about $ 300 million.Recall that  negotiations on the construction of the Megri HPP have been going on  since the early 1990s, but only on March 19, 2007, an agreement was  signed between Armenia and Iran on the construction of this  generation facility. About the very start of the project was  announced back in 2012, but so far the work has not been started due  to the possibilities of Tehran that have narrowed due to the  sanctions. As a result, over the past years, there have been changes  both in the resources of the waters of the Araks River and in  technology. 

For this reason, the project made regular changes in figures and  volumes.It is curious that initially it was planned to build two  stations - one in Meghri (Armenia), the second in Karachilar (Iran)  with an installed capacity of 130 MW each. It is planned to build a  drainage tunnel between the two hydropower plants. The project with  an initial cost of $ 323 million was to be undertaken by an Iranian  investment company.  Armenia had to pay for its part of the project  with electricity generated at hydroelectric power plants, and 15  years later the hydroelectric power station was to be transferred to  the Armenian side.ArmInfo Agency reported that if this project is  implemented, the volume of water for the Meghri hydroelectric station  in Armenia may simply not be enough. Previously a former adviser to  the minister of energy infrastructures andAreg Galstyan stated that  due to environmental problems associated with a decrease in the  volume of water in the Araks River,by increasing water withdrawals  from Turkey, this project had to be revised downward. If initially it  was planned to build two stations (Meghri - Armenia, Karachilar -  Iran) of 130 MW each and total power generation of about 850 million  kW per year, now a variant with a capacity of 100 MW is being  considered.While the Armenian-Iranian energy projects have not moved  from a dead center, in recent years, economic ties between Tehran and  Baku have intensified dramatically. The Iranian parliament approved a  bill on the joint construction of two hydropower plants with  Azerbaijan. The document allows the construction of power plants near  the Araks River in the border area, in the Iranian city of Marazad  and the Azerbaijani city of Ordubad. The document provides for  cooperation in the construction of power plants at the Khoda Afarin  and Gyz Galasi dams on the Araks River, as well as the construction  of the Ordubad power station on the Azerbaijani side and the power  station in Marazade on the Iranian side.