Straddling the joint border between Iran and Azerbaijan, Aras River has long been a source of livelihood for border dwellers and is a symbol of peace and friendship for the two countries.
And unlike other cross-border rivers, it has never been a source of conflict.
Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian made the statement addressing a ceremony to commemorate the 50th inauguration anniversary of the Aras and Mil-Mugan dams on Monday, IRNA reported.
The opening ceremony was attended by Azeri officials, including Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov and Zaur Mikayilov, Azerbaijan’s chairman of the Melioration and Water Management Company.
“The two sides are committed to the sustainable exploitation of the river’s resources and use them based on mutual interest,” Ardakanian said.
The minister noted that interaction between the two states is growing in all areas, especially energy, expressing hope that incomplete plans in and around Aras River would soon become operational.
“Iran’s borders with Azerbaijan are borders of friendship and development,” he said, adding that the timely implementation of joint agreements such as Khoda-Afarin Power Plant on Aras River would benefit both peoples.
The senior official said Iran-Azeri collaboration has improved in recent years, especially in the power sector.
“In the past four years, presidents of the two countries held 12 meetings that produced important cooperation documents,” Ardakanian said.
Two dams and an irrigation network were also opened in East Azarbaijan Province on Monday.
Referring to the projects, the minister said the two dams (Gezelgalasi and Gardian), which can store up to 72 million cubic meters of water, were built at a cost of $100 million.
Launched in 2006, the first venture (Gezelgalasi Dam) was completed at an estimate cost of $70 million.
“Built on Aras River, the dam has the capacity to store 62 mcm of water and will help transfer 1 billion cubic meters of water from the river to 74 hectares of farmlands in the Ardabil and East Azarbaijan provinces per year,” he said.
The second dam (Gardian), also constructed on Aras River, cost $30 million and will help irrigate 2 hectares of farm lands in Jolfa County.
According to the minister, about 55 dams have been built in Iran over the last four decades and 45 more dams are under construction.
Self-Sufficiency
Iran is self-sufficient in power plant construction and has signed energy contracts with neighboring states.
The country's dam building capacity has significantly improved in the past three decades.
More than 200 contractors, 70 consulting firms and 30 associated companies, along with dozens of hydroelectric equipment manufacturing companies, are involved in the key sector.
Iran ranks third in dam building internationally, after China and Japan, according to the American Enterprise Institute.
Thirty Iranian firms have implemented 88 water and electricity projects worth $4.3 billion with South America, namely Cuba, Bolivia and Venezuela.
Ardakanian also referred to an agreement finalized in 2020 to build a hydroelectric power plant on the joint Khoda-Afarin Dam on Aras River.
The deal was signed by First Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Shahin Mustafayev and Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian last December. A preliminary agreement to build the power station in Azerbaijan was reached in 2019.
“The power station will have a generation capacity of 280-megawatts.”
Khoda-Afarin is an earth-fill embankment dam, with a capacity of 1.6 billion cubic meters of water on Aras River. It is located 8 km west of Khomarlu, (capital of Khoda-Afarin County) in Iran's East Azarbaijan Province and 14 km southwest of Soltanli in Jabrayil District in the neighboring republic.
Power Grid
Iran is trying to synchronize its power grid with Azerbaijan.
Although an electricity exchange contract already exists, “we are looking at the bigger picture by linking the two electricity networks”.
Iran has said it is planning to connect its power grid to Russia through the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Electricity experts from Iran, Russia and Azerbaijan met in Moscow in 2019 to discuss the technicalities of “creating an energy corridor” to export Russian electricity to Azerbaijan and Iran.
In a memorandum of understanding signed in 2015, the three sides agreed to synchronize their power grids by 2021 and pave the way for electricity trade between Tehran and Moscow.
In 2018, Azerbaijan, Russia and Iran created a working group to chart ways of synchronizing their energy infrastructure. The network will connect the three power grids and help curb outages in summer.
Iran and Azerbaijan can exchange at least 700 megawatts a year.
