Iran, Armenia discuss boosting power imports, completing transmission line
Iran and Armenia held talks on increasing electricity imports on a sustained basis during next summer, at the fifth meeting of the Joint Committee on the Operation of Power Networks of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Armenia, held in recent days in Yerevan, IRNA reported on Saturday.
Officials from the two countries’ power grid operators reviewed the record of ongoing cooperation in electricity exchanges and gas-for-power swaps, as well as joint operation of transmission lines and the development and modernization of telecommunications and metering infrastructure, stressing the need to maintain and deepen bilateral cooperation.
The meeting also addressed plans to raise electricity imports on a stable basis in the summer of next year, update operational protocols and strengthen technical coordination, particularly under emergency conditions.
Participants reviewed programs for supplying the gas required by power plants in return for generating and delivering electricity to Iran in the coming year, with a focus on the summer peak demand period.
The two sides agreed to utilize the maximum available operational capacity to supply electricity exports to Iran from gas exported to Armenia, in order to reinforce the stability of energy exchanges between the two countries next year.
Obstacles to completing the third electricity transmission line between Iran and Armenia were also outlined, with both sides emphasizing the need to accelerate follow-up actions to finalize the project.
The meeting underscored the strategic importance of energy exchanges between the two neighbors and the need to enhance operational coordination in managing their power networks, aiming to improve technical alignment and joint planning to increase and optimize the use of existing capacities.
Iran and Armenia maintain extensive cooperation in electricity exchanges and gas-for-power swaps. Electrical interconnection between the two countries has been in place since 1997 through two 230-kilovolt transmission lines, while a third 400-kilovolt line in Noravan, western Armenia, is currently under construction.
The Iran-Armenia gas pipeline is also a 140-kilometer pipeline that enables Iran to export natural gas to Armenia. The pipeline's Iranian section is 100 kilometers long, stretching from Tabriz to the Armenian border, playing a significant role in energy ties between the two countries.
On November 21, 2024, the Armenian government approved an energy project to construct a new 400 kV power transmission line to Iran. The project is also intended to support the development of the North-South Energy Corridor, which aims to connect the power grids of Iran, Armenia, Georgia, and Russia.