Electricity of 5 billion 680 million kWt/h generated in 2009 in the republic

YEREVAN, JANUARY 13, ARMENPRESS: Electricity of 5 billion 680 million kilowatt/h has been generated in 2009 in the republic, the great part of which has comprised the one generated in hydroelectric power stations – about 2 billion kWt/h. Compared with the last year, the production volumes of electricity in Armenia have decreased by nearly 7 % - mainly in the part of electricity used by irrigation systems. Armenian Statistical Service told Armenpress that the fall of electricity volumes has been large especially at the beginning of the year; particularly, according to the information of January-May, the fall has made 12.2 %. At the end of the year, parallel to the improvement of the economic main indexes, the size of decline has decreased as well. In 2009 in the conditions of crisis, the sphere of Armenian electricity has not suffered on the whole, no program has been frozen, and as a result of the implementation of a number of significant programs in the sphere of energy, the production of electricity is expected to go on normally. In regard to this year’s increase of electricity tariffs in the republic Armenian Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Armen Movsisyan said that they will do their best not to allow an increase of tariffs. Such a task has been put also by the president of the republic. It is already known that the Russian side, on behalf of “GasProm” company, has increased the tariff on the border above 154 USD setting it 180 USD. Currently calculations are being carried out with the Armenian Public Relations Regulating Commission in order to estimate how it will affect the electricity tariffs supplied in the republic after April 1 of 2010. After the implementation of the calculations the public will be presented whether changes of electricity tariffs are possible to be registered. Negotiations around exporting electricity from Armenia to Turkey are currently going on. A. Movsisyan said that if previously only one company displayed an interest toward purchasing electricity from Armenia, currently a number of companies express wish. Armenia is ready for the export and for cooperation with Turkey. That country has quite a great deficit of electricity, and Armenia can cover the part of that deficit by exporting its powers. There is no problem related to the extension of cooperation with Turkey in the energy sphere, the issue is to be solved only in the political field. Armenia has made an electricity exchange with Iran too.