Russia Seeking to Link Power Grid to Iran’s: Minister
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Russia’s Energy Minister Alexander Novak, who is in Iran on an official visit, said the two countries are in talks to link their power grids for exchange of electricity.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Hamid Chitchian, in Tehran, Novak said Iran and Russia can have constant exchange of electricity.
“We are seeking to lay an electricity power line between the two countries via Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia,” he said, adding that multilateral negotiations are underway to that end.
The Iranian minister Chitchian told reporters that a joint meeting of officials from these countries is planned to be held in Tbilisi, Georgia, within the next few weeks to discuss and make a final decision on linking the power grids.
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 at the 13th Iran-Turkmenistan Economic Commission in Yerevan.
Elsewhere, Novak told reporters that an agreement will be signed in a few days between Iran and Russia for construction of a 1400 MW power plant in the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.
He stressed that Tehran and Moscow have taken a proper path for development of economic ties and that the two sides can have good cooperation in such fields as energy- including oil, gas and electricity- as well as transportation, agriculture and education.
