Iran-Armenia 3rd power transmission line construction deadlines extended again

The construction deadlines for the third Iran-Armenia power transmission line, launched 16 years ago, have once again been extended. In an interview with Sputnik Armenia, Head of the Energy Department at Armenia’s Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, Hovhannes Abrahamyan, stated that construction work on the 400 kV Iran-Armenia third transmission line has slowed down somewhat due to regional tensions.

“Currently, the work is ongoing. Considering the recent events in Iran and the Middle East in general, our Iranian partners encountered certain difficulties. Now it seems that the situation is stabilizing, and the project is moving forward. Of course, this will have some impact on the deadlines, but we plan to complete the work in the near future, especially given that construction has already resumed,” he said.

Speaking about the current phase of construction, the ministry representative explained that work is being carried out on installing pylons and laying transmission wires. According to him, there has also been significant progress regarding the equipment of substations. Abrahamyan assured that the work, which had slowed because of regional tensions, has once again entered an intensive phase.

“The work continued at a slower pace, but now it is proceeding more intensively. Various tasks related to pylons and cable installation have not yet been completed, but the installation of transformers will be finished in the near future. One of them is already in Armenia, while the other will be imported soon,” Abrahamyan added.

When asked whether the planned volume of work could be completed by the end of the year, Hovhannes Abrahamyan gave a cautious forecast, emphasizing that he avoids specifying exact dates given the regional instability.

“If it were not for the events in the Middle East, we could say that the work would be completed by the end of the year. However, at this point, it would be wrong to set final deadlines,” he stressed.

Nevertheless, the ministry representative assured that construction of this strategic facility remains on the agenda, and efforts with the Iranian side are aimed at completing the project as quickly as possible.

It should be recalled that currently, the “Gas for Electricity” swap supplies between Armenia and Iran are carried out through the existing “Agarak–Meghri” (220 kV) and Noraduz–Agarak (220 kV) transmission lines. Iran supplies gas to Armenia through the existing Iran-Armenia gas pipeline, and electricity is generated from this gas in Armenia (mainly at the Hrazdan Thermal Power Plant). Armenia then returns electricity to Iran through the already existing transmission lines.

The under-construction (and long-discussed) 400 kV transmission line is needed to increase power exchange volumes, ensure synchronized operation of the energy systems, and expand transit capacity within the framework of the “North-South” energy corridor.