The complete network comprising the Iran-Armenia and Armenia-Georgia high-voltage transmission lines is scheduled to become operational in 2031–2033. Hovhannes Abrahamyan, head of the Regional Energy Markets Department at Armenia’s Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, said this, Sputnik Armenia reports.
The project involves the development of major energy infrastructure for Armenia. According to Abrahamyan, a 400-kV transmission line and substation are being built toward Iran, while infrastructure of the same capacity has been constructed toward Georgia.
“By 2031–33, we will have both lines ready for operation. In other words, the complete Iran-Armenia, Armenia-Georgia network will be ready to operate as a unified network,” he said.
According to Abrahamyan, commissioning the infrastructure will make it possible to increase existing cross-border electricity flows by at least several times.
“Why do I say electricity flows? Because this will apply to both imports and exports. The situation at that time will determine which option is used,” he explained.
According to him, the direction in which electricity will flow during any given period will depend on the circumstances prevailing at the time.
Addressing rising consumption, including the development of the IT sector and the emergence of new major consumers, as well as the question of when Armenia could face an electricity shortage, Abrahamyan said there is currently no such problem.
“As for an electricity shortage, there is no such thing. We provide our consumers with a stable and uninterrupted electricity supply, and our entire policy is aimed at ensuring that,” Abrahamyan said.
The ministry representative said it was unclear to him what had prompted discussions about a possible electricity shortage in Armenia. Abrahamyan added that isolated cases of extraordinary demand were an exception and had also been addressed during sectoral discussions.
“Everything else is proceeding normally. There is nothing to be concerned about at this point,” he stressed.
Abrahamyan also addressed the development of renewable energy in Armenia, noting that the country has had a well-developed hydropower system for many years, while solar energy capacity has increased significantly in recent years.
According to figures he presented, Armenia’s solar energy capacity stood at several dozen megawatts in 2018, while grid-connected capacity has now reached around 1,200 MW.
“We are trying to develop our renewable energy resources, whether solar or hydro, to the maximum extent possible — that is, as much as our system will allow,” Abrahamyan said.
In his assessment, the pace of renewable energy development has already reached a level at which the system’s technical capabilities need to be adapted to accommodate new capacity. The official also said Armenia plans to develop wind energy. According to Abrahamyan, this area has been incorporated into the country’s energy strategy.
“We already have a project with the Asian Development Bank to build a wind power plant. It is currently at the design stage,” he said.
At the same time, he added that developing industrial-scale wind farms depends on resolving two important issues: addressing problems in the power system caused by the integration of large volumes of solar generation and completing the new interstate electricity transmission networks.
“Once we resolve the problems caused by these solar plants, and once these networks are ready, we will consider the option of having industrial-scale wind farms,” Abrahamyan explained.
According to the ministry representative, Armenia is already using its renewable energy potential on a scale slightly greater than the existing power system could accommodate without additional solutions.
Abrahamyan also addressed Armenia’s potential participation in the planned Black Sea submarine power cable project. He said Armenia had expressed its readiness and interest in participating at a very preliminary stage of the project.
“How the project develops will make it possible to comment on Armenia’s participation,” Abrahamyan said.
He stressed that at the current stage, it is still too early to specify the format and extent of Armenia’s potential involvement in the project, particularly given the rapidly changing situation in the region. “The fact that we are interested and have demonstrated our interest to our partners is a fact,” the official said.
The project to lay a high-voltage power cable along the Black Sea seabed is intended to connect the electricity systems of Georgia and Romania to transmit “green” electricity from the South Caucasus to Europe. The project is being implemented by Georgia, Azerbaijan, Romania, and Hungary, while Armenia has previously expressed interest in participating.
