Iran Mulls Linking Power Grid to Caucasus, Russia
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s minister of energy highlighted the benefits of a plan that would link the country’s national grid to those of the Azerbaijan Republic, Russia and Georgia, enabling the neighbors to use each other’s power surplus at the peak of electricity consumption.
A connection between the electricity networks of Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Russia will benefit the four countries, Iranian Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian said in a meeting with Azeri Minister of Economy and Industry Shahin Mustafayev in Tehran.
Given the fact that electricity consumption in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Russia reaches a peak in the wintertime, but the highest electricity demand in Iran occurs in summer, a linkage will enable the countries to export power when necessary, and will reduce the costs of constructing new power plants, Chitchian explained.
He also expressed the hope for the implementation of joint projects between Tehran and Baku on building wind farms and geothermal power plants.
For his part, the visiting Azeri minister hoped for settling technical issues for connecting the national grids of Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia within the next month, and for the finalization of a contract for the sale of electricity.
Back in December 2015, Iran, Russia, Armenia and Georgia reached a memorandum of understanding to synchronize their power grids by 2019, paving the way for electricity exchange between Tehran and Moscow as part of their expansive plans to boost cooperation in the post-sanctions era.
The decision was made during a meeting between Chitchian and Armenian, Russian and Georgian officials during the 13th Iran-Turkmenistan Economic Commission in Yerevan.