ArmInfo.Until October 27, 2020, the results of an international tender to select a company that will build a 200-megawatt Aig-1 solar power plant of industrial importance will be summed up in Armenia.
At the May 21 sitting, the Government of Armenia approved the start of the prequalification competition.
According to RA Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan, the tender has been announced within the framework of the investment project proposed by the Emirates company "Masdar". The Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures of the RA is entrusted with organizing the procedure for accepting tender proposals.
In turn, the Director of the Armenian National Interests Fund, David Papazian, said that as part of the first phase of the program it is planned to build a solar power plant with a capacity of 200 MW. Starting tomorrow, the acceptance of applications will be announced. This process will continue for 45 calendar days, after which the three best offers will enter the qualification stage. Then, within 2 weeks, they undertake to submit their counterarguments at the price of electricity from a future solar generation facility. And if the offer is below 2.99 cents per 1 kWh offered by Masdar, then this company will be declared the winner. However, Masdar retains an advantage in the form of a 0.1 cent reduction in the price proposed by the winner. If such a proposal does not follow, then the winning company will build a solar station. David Papazian also noted that such tenders, or reverse tenders, are very popular in the world, especially in Asian countries. As the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan noted, the main goal of the tender is to obtain a minimum tariff from a future solar energy facility, which will have a positive impact on the entire economy of the country. In addition, with the tender, a signal is sent to investors that there is no oligarchy in Armenia and that foreign investments are reliably protected. To recall, on July 12 last year the Executive Director of Masdar Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi and the Executive Director of the National Interests Fund of Armenia David Papaziaan signed an agreement on cooperation in the construction of solar photovoltaic (200 MW), wind (200 MW) energy and "floating" solar installations (100 MW).
As Papazian noted then, more than 200 rivers and lakes can be used for floating solar programs. In Armenia, where the wind speed is 8.5 meters per second, there are favorable conditions for construction and a wind farm. The country records an indicator of 1,720 kWh of solar energy per 1 sq. meter, unlike the average European figure of 1000 kWh, "he said. Armenia, being a full member of the International Renewable Energy Agency, Abu Dhabi since 2010, aims to provide more than a quarter (26%) of domestic demand through renewable energy by 2025.
It should be noted that construction of the Masrik-1 industrial-scale solar power plant is ongoing in Armenia, which is being built by the winning consortium from a Dutch company with Spanish roots Photowatio Renewable Ventures B.V and Spanish FSL Solar S.L. . In order to implement the project, the consortium founded the FRV Masrik company in Armenia. Estimated cost of the investment program will exceed $ 55 million.