ROUTE OF SECOND SECTION OF IRAN-ARMENIA PIPELINE CAN BE CHANGED DUE TO ENVIRONMENTAL REASONS
Regnum, Russia
Sept 27 2007
The second section of the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline, Kajaran-Ararat,
and its security zone will cover 197.4 km with the territory of
987 hectares. Such decision was made at a session of the Armenian
government on September 27.
As REGNUM is told at the press office of the Armenian government,
due to the resolution, the ministers of power engineering,
environmental protection and agriculture, the head of the state
property register, the heads of administrations of Syunik, Vayots
Dzor and Ararat regions were ordered to examine within two months
and present proposals to the government to change categories of the
territories lying under planned gas pipeline route, about imposing
limits to use of the territories and about compensations to owners
of the territories. Being guided by environmental interests, the
government also instructed to prepare proposals on possible changes in
the route of the pipeline if necessary. To observe the time limits of
constructing the Kajaran-Ararat section, the government proposed that
the ArmRosgazprom carries out the construction and designing works
simultaneously, stage-by-stage, maintaining environmental expertise of
the projects. The works are expected to be completed by January 2009.
The gas pipeline between Iran and Armenia has a diameter of 711
mm and a length of 40 km; its annual capacity will be 1.2bn cubic
meters. Overall, about $148mn are to be invested in the three-year
project. After completion of the project, Armenia will able to import
1.1bn cubic meters of gas at the initial stage, and since 2019 2.3bn.
The contract is signed for a 20-year term. For each cubic meter of
the Iranian gas Armenia is to return 3 kilowatt of energy.