ArmInfo. The development of renewable energy has reduced Armenia's dependence on imported hydrocarbon raw materials. As a result, in 2023, the republic imported 100 million cubic meters less natural gas than in 2022. Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of the Republic of Armenia Hakob Vardanyan told the Public Television of Armenia about this.
According to him, the RA government had previously made final changes to the agreement signed in 2021 on the financing terms for the program for the construction of the industrial solar power plant "Ayg-1" with a capacity of 200 MW. The construction of the solar generation facility itself is expected to begin before the end of 2025. Vardanyan emphasized that this project fits into the RA government's strategy for the development of renewable energy. "We have made quite a lot of progress in this area, and today we are much closer to the target indicators. As of now, more than 540 MW of capacity has already been created in the country through solar energy. For comparison: in 2018, this indicator was at zero," the deputy minister said.
He added that the Ayg-1 solar power plant will be built in the communities of Dashtadem and Talin on an area of 490 hectares. The construction of the facility is being carried out by the UAE company Masdar, with which the shares of the company created in Armenia were redistributed (85% of the shares belong to the Arab company and 15% to the RA government after the liquidation of the State Interests Fund). The construction of Ayg-1 will contribute to the growth of the country's energy security. Vardanyan noted that by 2030, the volume of energy production from solar energy facilities is planned to be increased to 1 thousand megawatts, which will amount to 15% of all electricity generated in the country. However, according to the deputy minister, given the current pace of development of renewable energy, it is possible that this figure will be achieved as early as 2026. Development is happening at such a fast pace that authorities often do not have time to create the necessary infrastructure for solar energy facilities. In 2024 alone, solar energy will account for 13% of total electricity production, which is a huge leap forward.
On December 3, 2020, the government approved the list of companies prequalified for the implementation of the Ayg-1 industrial photovoltaic power plant construction project. The capacity of the new solar power plant will be 200 megawatts within the framework of the investment program of the UAE company Masdar. On July 12, 2019, in Yerevan, an agreement on cooperation in the construction of a solar photovoltaic (200 MW) power plant, a wind power plant with a capacity of 200 MW of energy and "floating" solar installations with a capacity of 100 MW was signed between Mohammed Jamil Al Ramahi, Executive Director of Masdar, and David Papazyan, Executive Director of the National Interests Fund of Armenia. More than 200 rivers and lakes can be used for "floating" solar installation programs. In Armenia, where the wind speed is 8.5 meters per second, there are favorable conditions for the construction of a wind power plant. The country records 1,720 kWh of solar energy per square meter, compared to the European average of 1,000 kWh. Armenia, a full member of the International Renewable Energy Agency in Abu Dhabi since 2010, aims to meet more than a quarter (26%) of domestic demand with renewable energy by 2025.
