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Parliament is debating a bill drafted by ruling party MPs that would give the government the power to make “preventative intervention” in the energy company administration to prevent possible risks.
The current legislation allows to address only the violations that have already taken place, but there are no tools to prevent the risks in early stages.
“Security and reliability of the energy system are important components of national security,” said MP Vladimir Vardanyan, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on State-Legal Affairs. “We must ensure that the state has effective levers for preventive intervention to protect public interests and the rights of consumers,” he said.
Vardanyan said such mechanisms exist in various countries and seek to safeguard the uninterrupted public services and protection of strategic infrastructures.
Armenian authorities plan to assume control of the country’s electric utility (ENA), currently owned by billionaire tycoon Samvel Karapetyan’s Tashir Group, for what they describe as mismanagement which had nearly triggered an energy crisis in the country.
ENA has denied the accusations. The company recently said it would challenge the government’s actions in court.