RA PARLIAMENT RATIFIED ARMENIAN-IRANIAN INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT ON COOPERATION FOR CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION OF HYDROPOWER PLANTS ON ARAKS RIVER
ArmInfo Agency, Armenia
Oct 4 2007
ArmInfo. Today, RA Parliament ratified an Armenian-Iranian
intergovernmental agreement on cooperation for construction and
operation of hydropower plants on Araks river.
As RA deputy Energy Minister Ara Simonyan told parliamentarians,
the agreement has been signed on March 19, 2007, in Meghri within the
frames of the meeting of the Armenian and Iranian Presidents Robert
Kocharyan and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Meghri. On behalf of Armenia’s
government, the document was signed by RA Energy minister Armen
Movsisyan. The document is aimed at efficient use of the hydroenergy
potential of Araks river. In particular, it is scheduled to build two
hydropower plants on the boundary territories of Armenia and Iran
(one in RA territory, the second one in the territory of Iran). It
is scheduled to start construction of two HPPs in 2007 and complete
it within 6 years. As Araks river is boundary, all the issues on
development and construction are solved by joint efforts of the two
states. According to the agreement provisions, each party obliges to
defray all the expenses related to the development of a feasibility
study and construction. The parties will cooperate in solution of
technical issues, rendering of services and other issues.
It is scheduled that each party will select areas in its territory for
HPP construction, for which it is envisages to facilitate the terms
of entry in the two states’ boundary territories. Construction of two
HPPs will not cause changes of the two countries’ borders. The work
over development of the project’s feasibility study has been already
completed. The design capacities of each plant will make up 130-140
MW. The annual generation of electric energy will make up 840 mln
kWh. One tunnel with length of 13- 14 km and width of 6 m will be built
in the territories of both countries. The plant will become a property
of Armenia. Talking of the project of construction of two HPPs on Araks
river by Iran together with Azerbaijan, the deputy minister said that
the matter concerns creation of generating capacities of 50 MW. After
operation, the water will subject to return to Araks river. There is a
water pool in the boundary territory of Armenia and Nakhichevan and,
as a result of the agreement signing, the Iranian party undertakes
to assure all the necessary water flows and will not affect the level
of electric energy generation at Meghri HPP in Armenia.
In accordance with the intergovernmental agreement from December 27,
2001, the project’s feasibility study was developed by "Mahaborts"
Iranian Company and a contractor represented by the "Armgidroproyekt"
Armenian Institute.