IRAN-ARMENIA GAS PIPELINE WILL BE BUILT IRRESPECTIVE OF WHICH COUNTRY IT WILL BELONG TO: ARMENIAN PM

Yerevan, April 12. ArmInfo. Iran-Armenia gas pipeline will be built
irrespective of which country it will belong to, Armenian Prime
Minister Andranik Margaryan said at the Parliament, Wednesday.

He said the CJSC ArmRosgazprom is to supply gas to Armenian consumers
irrespective of its form of ownership and belonging. The prime
minister assured parliamentarians that the sale of the 5th power unit
of Hrazdan TPP and the construction of Iran-Armenian gas pipeline
are not related. The first line of this gas pipeline from Meghri to
Kajaran is currently built, the construction of the second one from
Kajaran to Yerevan is planned for the current year as well. The funding
of the second line is currently under consideration. The capacity of
Iran-Armenian gas pipeline will amount to 2.2 billion cubic meters of
gas annually, which is adequate to the Russian gas supply to Armenia,
the prime minister said.

In his turn, Energy Minister Armen Movsisyan assured parliamentarians
that the gas pipeline Iran-Armenia will remain the property of
Armenia. As regards the price of the 5th power unit of Hrazdan TPP –
$250 million – it depends on the technical and economic parameters
of the unit’s construction project. A gas turbine will be installed
on the unit, and its capacity will amount to 440 megawatt. It will
reduce the use of fuel equivalent to 250 grams. For example, the
minister said that the operating four power units of Hrazdan TPP were
transferred to Russia for $31 million as they use 400 grams of fuel.

In his turn, Serge Sargsyan, Minister of Defense, Armenian
Co-chairman of the Armenian-Russian Intergovernmental Commission, told
parliamentarians that starting from 2000, Russia was setting touch
conditions for construction of the 5th power unit of Hrazdan TPP. In
particular, Russia demanded the sale of the electricity generated by
the unit or repayment of the investments within few years. It was
unfavorable for Armenia, which was delaying the transaction. This
year, Russia set no conditions and Armenia agreed to sell the power
unit to Gazprom, S. Sargsyan said.