ArmInfo. Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Armenia Narek Apitonyan received an Iranian delegation.
Among a number of energy cooperation issues, the main topic of discussion was the progress of the Iran- Armenia 400 kV overhead power line (OPL) and the corresponding substation.
The Deputy Minister expressed hope for the completion of construction work as soon as possible. The Iranian side also noted the importance of completing the project, which will increase electricity supplies.
Following the meeting, the parties agreed to jointly oversee the project's implementation. It should be noted that last November, the Armenian government issued a budget loan to the Iranian company Sunir, which is building the 400-kilovolt Iran-Armenia power transmission line. A contract was signed with the project contractor, Sunir, by the state-owned enterprise High Voltage Networks of Armenia back in July 2006, according to which the contractor was obligated to carry out the design, supply, construction, installation, testing, and commissioning of the third 400 kV power transmission line and the corresponding substation in a comprehensive manner. The total cost of the project is EUR106,847,237.51. Of this cost, EUR 86,447,914 is financed by a loan from the Export Development Bank of Iran, and EUR20,399,323.51 is financed by a loan from Sunir International FZE. The project completion date was set for December 31, 2034. The project's implementation will increase electricity flows between Armenia and Iran from 350 MW to 1,200 MW, enhance the security, reliability, and stability of Armenia's energy system, and enable the full utilization of the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline capacity under 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.
ArmInfo previously 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 a number of problems, 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 2024. As for the Armenia-Georgia power transmission line, the parties have not yet begun its construction.
