ArmInfo. Energy security is one of the pillars of Armenia's sovereignty, and assessing it solely by commercial criteria can lead to irreversible errors. This is what political scientist Vahe Davtyan writes.
According to him, in the first seven months of 2025, Georgia increased its electricity imports by approximately 634%, bringing the figure in monetary terms to $26.1 million. Meanwhile, the share of electricity imports from Armenia in total imports was only $4.3 million, while from Azerbaijan it was $21.2 million.
"It is also important to note that during the same period, Armenia imported electricity from Georgia worth $1.7 million. Of course, not bad. At least in electricity trade with Georgia, we are no longer a net importer. However, if we look at the issue more systematically, it becomes clear that if at least part of the resources allocated to the rapid and at the same time chaotic development of solar energy in Armenia in recent years had been directed towards the construction of a new high-voltage power transmission line between Armenia and Georgia, then, of course, the picture would have been much more favorable. On the one hand, we would have strengthened our position in the Georgian electricity market, acting as a stable exporter of electricity - a product with high added value and strategic importance, and on the other, we would not have allowed a dangerous overload of production capacities in the electricity system, which the same government is now forced to talk about. Energy security is one of the pillars of sovereignty. Assessing it solely by commercial criteria can lead to irreversible errors," the expert noted.
The North-South Energy Corridor project, designed to connect the power systems of Iran, Armenia, Georgia, and Russia, has encountered a number of challenges. Initially, the 400/500-kilovolt Iran-Armenia and Armenia-Georgia power lines were scheduled for completion by the end of 2019. However, as of today, work on the Iran-Armenia power line is 80% complete, while construction of the Armenia-Georgia power line has not yet begun. According to the project, it is planned to build a 400-kV Iran-Armenia power line and a 500-kV Armenia-Georgia power line. For this purpose, two electrical substations, "Ayrum" and "Ddmashen," are planned to be built on the Georgian border. According to FICHTNER, the preliminary cost of the Armenia-Georgia power line construction program is ?326.9 million, 10% of which is to be Georgia's contribution. To this end, three loan agreements were signed in 2014-2015. Specifically, the German bank KfW provided a ?168 million loan, and the European Investment Bank provided an additional ?10 million. A grant of another ?10 million is expected from the European Commission. The Iran-Armenia high-voltage power transmission line is expected to be built in the first quarter of 2026.
