To help accelerate the synchronization of Iran’s power grid with those of Azerbaijan and Russia, the three neighboring nations discussed the details of an ongoing project via videoconference on Monday.
The meeting was attended by the deputy energy ministers of Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia, IRNA reported.
The three sides scrutinized feasibility studies on the synchronization plan conducted by Monenco Iran Consulting Engineers, a leading global provider of professional engineering and consulting services.
Established in 1973 as a joint venture between the private sector of Iran and Montreal Engineering Company of Canada, the company was commissioned to devise a plan to link the three countries’ power grids.
Studies to undertake the initiative started in 2018 and senior energy officials were briefed on the details to take a final decision when they hold another meeting in the near future.
Monenco Iran Consulting Engineers has extended engineering and consultancy services in different fields across Iran and in the Middle East, South East Asia, Africa and the Commonwealth of Independent States.
In 2018, Azerbaijan, Russia and Iran formed a working group to conduct feasibility studies to synchronize their power systems, which is now complete.
The trilateral workgroup included 18 people (six from each side) with a mandate for undertaking a feasibility study on integrating the power systems of the three Caspian states to create the North-South power corridor.
International Transport Corridor
In 2020, Azeri Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov met his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow and voiced his country's support for the implementation of joint projects, including the construction of the International North-South Transport Corridor.
Construction work is in progress for the third Iran-Armenia power transmission line, the completion of which will boost the potential of electricity trade not only between the two countries but also with Georgia and Russia.
Work on the high-voltage transmission line is expected to become complete by April. The line is designed to boost Armenia’s electricity export to Iran, which is paid for with natural gas via a 140-km gas pipeline.
As per the 2004 deal, Iran sells gas to Armenia and in exchange imports electricity in summer. Iran's natural gas is used by the republic to generate electricity that is exported to Iran.
Tehran receives 3.2 kilowatt-hours of electricity from Yerevan in exchange for 1 cubic meter of natural gas.
“Harmonizing Iran and Russia’s electricity grids is the most viable and inexpensive option to help ease frequent power cuts during hot summer days when power load maximizes in Iran,” the energy minister’s advisor for international affairs, Mohammad Ali Farahnakian, said.
“Iran needs to synchronize its power grid with that of Russia because otherwise it has to invest billions of dollars to construct new power stations to bridge the widening gap between supply and demand.”
The advisor said Iran’s Energy Ministry is expecting a power deficit of at least 5,000 megawatts between June and July, for which three large thermal power plants should be built.
“Regardless of the long time needed to implement such plans, investment in such projects is beyond the government’s financial ability as it has been grappling with ballooning budget deficit for years. The private sector is not willing to invest in loss-making power sector ventures, so the best alternative is to harmonize Iran’s power network with that of neighboring nations, including Russia, Turkey and Turkmenistan.”
According to Farahnakian, electricity demand peaks in Iran between June and July, and this is when Russia’s demand reduces and the surplus can be imported to Iran.
“There are two routes through which our power grid can be connected to Russia’s: one is via the Republic of Azerbaijan and the other through Armenia and Georgia,” he added.
In 2015, Iran and Azerbaijan signed a memorandum of understanding on the exchange of electricity.
Iran’s annual electricity export to neighbors is close to 6 billion kilowatt hours with the bulk going to Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq.
