ArmInfo.On July 2, RA Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Narek Apitonyan received the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Armenia, Khalil Shirgholami.
According to the press service of the Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure and Infrastructure, the progress of the construction of the 400 kV overhead power line between Iran and Armenia and the corresponding substation was discussed during the meeting. The Deputy Minister expressed hope that the contractor, the Iranian company Sunir, will complete the project on time and in a proper manner.
It should be noted that last November, the Armenian government issued a budget loan to the Iranian company Sunir, which is constructing the 400 kV Iran-Armenia power line. A contract was signed with the High-Voltage Electric Networks of Armenia CJSC in July 2006, according to which the contractor was obligated to perform the design, supply, construction, installation, testing, and commissioning of the third 400 kV transmission line and the corresponding substation in a comprehensive manner. The total cost of the project is EUR 106,847,237.51. Of this amount, 86,447,914 is funded through a loan from the Export Development Bank of Iran, and 20,399,323.51 through a loan from Sanir International FZE. The implementation of the project will increase electricity flows between Armenia and Iran from 350 MW to 1,200 MW, improve the security, reliability, and stability of the Armenian power system, and make it possible to fully utilize the capacity of the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline within the framework of the Gas for Electricity program. In early June of this year, the Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure (MTAI) of the Republic of Armenia, David Khudatyan, reported that construction of the third Iran-Armenia power transmission line was 80% complete.
Earlier, ArmInfo reported that Armenia was conducting a barter agreement with Iran, receiving 1 cubic meter of Iranian gas in exchange for 3 kWh of electricity in the opposite direction. With the construction of the third transmission line, these volumes will increase significantly. However, the North-South Energy Corridor project, designed to connect the power systems of Iran, Armenia, Georgia, and Russia, has encountered several issue, primarily related to frequent delays in the commissioning date. While the Iran- Armenia power transmission line project was previously scheduled for completion in late 2018, in late December 2021, responsible authorities stated that the line would be ready by the end of 2026. As for the Armenia-Georgia power line, the parties have not yet begun its construction.
