Minister: by 2040, volume of electricity production from solar  generation facilities to be increased by another 1,500 MW

ArmInfo.In order to develop the domestic energy sector, a number of programs are being  implemented. Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of the Republic of Armenia Gnel Sanosyan told reporters on November 28 on the sidelines of the Energy Week.

According to him, one of these large projects is being implemented in  the field of atomic energy, and the second one is being implemented  in the field of renewable energy. It is planned that in 2030 the  share of solar energy in total electricity production will be  increased to 15%. Given the current pace, it is possible that these  volumes will be exceeded. By 2040, it is planned to increase the  volume of electricity production from solar generation facilities by  another 1,500 MW, and from wind stations by 500 MW.

The Minister noted that Armenia has the potential to increase the  volume of electricity exports. Some of that electricity is exchanged  for Iranian gas supply. In order to expand the barter deal, Yerevan  plans to increase gas supplies from Iran. "We currently import 365  million cubic meters of natural gas per year from Iran. Based on a  well-known agreement, we return them electricity in the ratio of 1/3.  A few months ago, we signed an agreement with our partners to extend  the project until 2030," he said. 

The document not only implies an extension of the deadline, but also  contains the possibility of increasing the volume of supplies from  Iran to Armenia and, accordingly, the volume of returned electricity.  He noted that the diameter of the current gas pipeline makes it  possible to increase supplies. "There is no need for a new one yet,  since the current one is not used at full capacity," Sanosyan noted.

Annually Armenia imports gas in the amount of more than 2.5 billion  cubic meters, of which 80-85% is from Russia, the rest from Iran. In  2022, imports amounted to about 2 billion 966 million cubic meters,  of which 366 million came from Iran, 2 billion 600 million from the  Russian Federation.