Iran, Armenia forge comprehensive energy partnership

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In the first of the two meetings, Iran's Minister of Energy, Abbas Aliabadi, hosted Minister Khudatyan to review the status of joint electricity projects. According to reports from the Ministry of Energy, the two sides placed particular emphasis on accelerating the implementation of the third power transmission line—a project that has remained stalled for over twelve years—as well as developing the broader Iran-Armenia-Georgia-Russia power corridor.

The third transmission line, designed to operate at 230 kV, has faced significant delays, primarily due to liquidity constraints affecting cabling works. In their discussions, both ministers underscored the urgency of securing the necessary financial resources to resolve this bottleneck, thereby ensuring the line can be energized and brought into service. Encouragingly, an Iranian contractor involved in the project has pledged to complete the installation of transmission towers in sections 5 and 6 within the next month, signaling tangible progress on the ground.

Beyond this longstanding project, Minister Aliabadi raised the prospect of constructing the Meghri run-of-the-river hydroelectric power plant. The Armenian side responded positively, referencing prior agreements and expressing full readiness to cooperate. Significantly, an Omani company has reportedly stepped forward with an offer to finance and implement the Meghri project, which could add approximately 200 megawatts of clean, renewable capacity to the regional grid.

A central pillar of the discussions was the development of the Iran-Armenia-Georgia-Russia power corridor. Minister Aliabadi emphasized that technical and economic studies have already confirmed the viability of electricity exchanges along this route. Highlighting Iran's technical expertise, he announced that Iranian companies stand ready to construct the transmission line segment between Armenia and Georgia, effectively linking the Caucasus to the broader Eurasian energy network.

Source: WIkipedia