YEREVAN, JULY 17, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has chaired a consultation on the prospects of development and ongoing projects of the energy system of Armenia.

“The energy system and its significance is hard to overestimate,” he said.

“Basically energy is greatly transforming in the modern world and we must be able to clearly understand and evaluate our actions in these transformations and in its context, in order to comply our energy system to modern standards in terms of balancing and strategic prospects,” the PM added.

Minister of energy infrastructures and natural resourced Arthur Grigoryan briefed that the operations for extending the lifecycle of the nuclear power station’s second power block are proceeding as expected within the schedule. In addition, the plant’s planned renovation will be completed in august and it will be re-launched. The further development of nuclear energy was highlighted, taken into account the need to consistently increase energy security level. Issues related to storing nuclear waste and future re-procession were also discussed.

The PM was also briefed on the process of construction of the second power line between Iran and Armenia, prospects of developing renewable energy and the situation in the hydro-energy sector.

Positive developments in the solar energy sector were highlighted – several investors have submitted bids for implementing investment projects.

Grigoryan noted that representatives of the consortium comprising the Dutch Fotowatio Renewable Ventures B.V and Spanish FSL Solar S.L. – the companies who were awarded the contract to construct the Masrik 1 55 MW solar plant – will soon arrive in Yerevan to sign the contract.

“A situation when any action is carried out by ignoring the opinion of communities should be ruled out. This must simply be ruled out. When the project is a good one, they must be able to convince people that it is a good one. The viewpoint of communities must have decisive importance here. This related to not only the energy sector but generally any project,” he said, adding that the interests of communities must be taken into account.

The PM also tasked to inventorize all suspicious and problematic obligations in the energy sector and take action to regulate them.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan