Price for Zovashen hydro power plant’s electricity to increase from AMD 15.6 to 19.8

YEREVAN, May 22. /ARKA/. Armenian Public Services Regulatory Commission has approved new prices for the electricity generated by small hydro power plant Zovashen.

Hayk Gosalmyan, chief of one of units of the commission, said that one kilowatt/hour will cost AMD 19.827 with VAT (16.523 without VAT).

He said that on July 31, 2002, the commission decided to set price for the plant-generated electric power at AMD 15.6 for one kilowatt/hour with VAT (AMD 12.98 per 1 kilowatt/hour without VAT), The decision took force on September 1, 2002.

Gosalmyan said that the new decision will take force on May 19, 2008.
He said the aggregate capacity of the plant is 1520 kilowatt/hour, its annual output is 3.64 million kilowatt/hour, of which useful output 3.58 million.
Gosalmyan also said that the company’s investments exceed AMD 131.8 million without VAT.

The commission gave Zovashen HPP Company a license for constructing Zovashen small hydro power plant in Ararat Valley. The license term is 15 years.

By January 1, 2008, 61 small HPPs had been operating in Armenia – a four-fold increase over the last four years. Their total capacity is 75MW and annual energy output 244mln kw/h.

Sixty more HPPs are being constructed, their total designed capacity being 145 MW and annual energy output 517kw/h.

Most of the HPPs are being constructed in the Syunik region (20 operating HPPs and 13 small HPPs currently under construction) and in the Lori region (15 operating HPPs and 10 small HPPs under construction).

The Commission is expected to issue at least 20 licenses for the construction of HPPs before the end of 2008, with ten HPPs to be put into operation. M.V. –0--