Iran-Armenia gas main to expand annual supply to 2.3 billion cubic
meters from 2011

YEREVAN, July 3. /ARKA/. Iran-Armenia gas main’s annual supply will
reach 2.3bln cubic meters in 2011, said Ashot Hovsepyan, deputy
director general of Armenia’s gas supply monopoly ArmRusGasProm.

Citing a relevant agreement between the Yerevan-based heat station and
Iran’s gas exports company, Hovsepyan said annual supplies of the
Iranian gas would increase from 1.1bln cubic meters to 2.3bln cubic
meters starting from 2011.

The Yerevan-based heat station daily needs about 300,000 cubic meters
of gas (1mln cubic meters on particular days), the ArmRusGasProm deputy
director general said. `If the heat station demands an increase in gas
supplies, we will expand the deliveries,’ he added.

With the gas main being ready for operations, the working pressure
needs to be amplified in order to increase gas imports, according to
Hovsepyan.

`We must get ready to put the gas main into operation in case of a
serious accidental fault. We are carrying out activities to expand
Iranian gas imports,’ he said.

Iran launched gas flows to Armenia on May 15, 2009, as part of the
agreement gas in return of electricity. Iran is to supply Armenia with
1 cubic meter of natural gas in exchange for 3kWh electricity.

The Armenian government initiated Iran-Armenia gas main construction in
2004. The project aims=2
0at boosting gas imports to Armenia.

The Yerevan-based heat station was established between 1963 and 1967.
The station’s nominal capacity is 550MW, with only one of the seven
aggregates (50 MW) operating at present. The new combines-cycle power
unit of the heat station will launch operations in 2010. Z. Sh.’0–