A Quadrilateral Meeting with Participation of Armenia, Russia, Georgia and Iran

On December 23, a joint meeting devoted to the regional cooperation problems between Armenian, Iranian and Georgian Energy Ministers and Director General of the <Russian Networks> JSC hosted in Yerevan.

The meeting was attended by the RA Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Ye. Zakharyan, Iranian Energy Minister H. Chitchian, Georgian Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Energy K. Kaladze and the CEO of the "Russian Networks" Corporation of Russian Ministry of Energy Budargin.

The participants discussed the possibilities of cooperation expanding in the electric energy sector, taking into account the favorable conditions in terms of new regional projects implementation.

It refers particularly to such regional projects that will enable to unite the electric energy systems of the four countries, raising the level of management of the mutual energy supplies, as well as the efficiency, safety and reliability of the energy systems’ activity.

The cooperation between the Armenian, Russian, Georgian and Iranian electric energy sectors is receiving a new quality by this initiative.

For the overmentioned creates a favorable environment the circumstance, that Armenian and Iranian, Georgian and Russian energy systems are working together in parallel synchronized
regimes on one hand, and on the other hand, several investment projects are in the stage of preparation or implementation in order to increase the bandwidth and capacities of the energy sector.

In particular, it is planned to put into operation the Armenia-Georgia 400/500 kV voltage transmission line and substation with the insert of steady stream until 2018.

This will ensure the opportunity of the work in parallel and asynchronous mode with Georgia's energy system, and the electricity exchange capacity in the first phase will amount to 350 MW, which will reach to 700 MW until 2021.

It is expected the Iran-Armenia 400 kW power transmission line to be launched in 2018. It will unable to deliver the electricity flows with Iran up to 1,200 MW.

The aim of the implementation of these measures is to accomplish the initiative on establishing of the North-South electric energy corridor that will enable to work with Eurasian Economic Union and EU energy systems.

The United States and the European Union have supported and are ready to continue the support for the development of the energy systems of Armenia and Georgia.

The discussions on electric energy sector cooperation issues in South Caucasus were organized also in Tbilisi, in July, by the initiative of the Georgian Ministry of Energy and the International Energy Charter.

The deepening and expansion of the cooperation between the energy systems of four countries will enable to form a regional electricity market.

Taking into account the importance of effective management of the project, the parties expressed their readiness to coordinate efforts to promote the program.

In the framework of the reached agreements there was signed the "Memorandum of Understanding" during the the meeting with the representatives of the four cooperation countries.