UNUSUAL COLD CREATES EXTRA TENSION FOR POWER GRID

ARMENPRESS
Jan 16 2007

YEREVAN, JANUARY 16, ARMENPRESS: The unusual cold weather that has
swept on Armenia has caused additional tension for the country’s
power grid, energy minister Armen Movsisyan said to president Robert
Kocharian today.

According to the minister, nevertheless, the system did not experience
serious breakdowns He said daily power consumption has grown to over
23 million kilowatt hours.

Kocharian’s press office said the two men also referred to upgrading
the Yerevan thermal power plant which is to have a new steam-gas
electric generating unit. The program launched this year is supposed
to be over in 2 years. The new turbine will have 245 megawatt capacity
and will decreases the amount of gas for electricity production.

The press office said among other things, the two men discussed also
preparations for construction of a hydro power plant on the border
river of Arax that separates Armenia from Iran, Iran-Armenia and
Iran-Georgia electricity lines and some issues regarding plans to
replace the nuclear power plant with a new modern facility.