Iran trades electricity with four neighbors on its northwestern and western borders, managing director of Azarbaijan Regional Electricity Company said on Wednesday.
“We have power deals with the Azerbaijan Republic (including Nakhchivan Autonomous region), Turkey, Armenia and Iraq,” Afshin Roshan-Milani was quoted as saying by ISNA.
Under swap deals, Iran exports electricity to Armenia and Azerbaijan in winter and imports it when domestic demand soars in summer. The two countries’ seasons of peak electricity demand are different from Iran’s.
“The exchange of electricity with Azerbaijan and Armenia helps remove the need for building power plants in Iran and those countries,” he said. Armenia is connected to Iran through two electricity lines and a third is under construction.
According to reports, the new power line, to be completed by the end of 2018 at an estimated cost of $107 million, is part of an agreement between Iran, Russia, Armenia and Georgia to synchronize their power grids by 2019, paving the way for electricity exchange between Tehran and Moscow as part of their cooperation plans.
The new infrastructure will raise Iran-Armenia electricity exchange capacity by four times to around 1,200 megawatts.
Iran is the largest electricity producer in the Middle East with an installed power generating capacity of around 76,000 MW. Its power industry ranks 14th in the world in terms of output.
Add new comment
Read our comment policy before posting your viewpoints