Armenia and Iran are expanding cooperation in energy, transport, and aviation

ArmInfo. Today, Armenian Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure David Khudadyan met with the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Armenia, Khalil Shirgolami.

During the meeting, the parties discussed a wide range of issues related to cooperation between Armenia and Iran. In particular, they touched upon energy, transport, and road construction. The Minister emphasized the importance of the speedy construction of the Iran-Armenia power transmission line and also emphasized the need to deepen aviation cooperation between Armenia and Iran and increase the number of flights.

Following the meeting, an agreement was reached to continue discussions on a number of other agenda items in the near future. The Iranian Ambassador previously reported that construction of the third high-voltage power line between Armenia and Iran was 93-94% complete.

It should be noted that in November 2024, the RA government issued a budget loan to the Iranian company Sunir, which is building a 400-kilovolt Iran-Armenia power transmission line. An agreement was signed with the project contractor, Sunir, with the state-owned enterprise High Voltage Networks of Armenia back in July 2006, according to which the contractor is obliged 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 scope. The total cost of the project is 106,847,237.51 euros. Of the project cost, 86,447,914 euros are financed by a loan from the Export Development Bank of Iran, and the amount of 20,399,323.51 euros is financed by a loan from Sunir International FZE. The completion date for the project 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, enhancing the security, reliability, and stability of Armenia's energy system, and enabling the full utilization of the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline capacity under the "Gas for Electricity" program.

ArmInfo previously reported that Armenia is 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 electricity systems of Iran, Armenia, Georgia, and Russia, has encountered a number of challenges, primarily related to frequent delays in the project's commissioning. While the Iran-Armenia power line project's completion date was previously announced for the end of 2018, by the end of December 2021, the responsible authorities had already stated that the line would be ready by the end of 2024. As for the Armenia-Georgia power line, the parties have not yet begun its construction.