Ashnak electrical power substation and Yerevan thermal power plant to come online in 2018

YEREVAN, November 23. / ARKA /. The Ashnak electrical power substation and the Yerevan thermal power plant  will be put into operation after a major overhaul and reconstruction before  the end of 2018, the Armenian ministry of energy infrastructures and natural resources said today.

Vardan Martirosyan, a senior official of the ministry, supervising the implementation of grant and credit programs was quoted as saying in a press release that  along with the overhaul and repair, the utilities have  imported the necessary equipment.

He said the repair of the Ashnak substation and the technical re-equipment of the substation at the Yerevan thermal power are carried out with the support of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development within the framework of the 'Improvement of Electricity Supply Systems in Armenia" program. He said the reconstruction will allow to minimize emergency shutdowns, increase the reliability of substations and power systems and reduce operating costs.

Earlier this year the head of the World Bank Office in Armenia Laura Bailey said that the overhaul and reconstruction of the Ashnak substation and the Yerevan thermal power would cost $69.16 million. According to her, $17.16 million were to be released by the Armenian government as co-financing, and the remaining $52 million would be provided by the World Bank as a loan with the repayment period of 25 years and a grace period of 14.5 years.

The Ashnak substation was commissioned in 1983 and has not undergone major repairs since. It supplies electricity to 120,000 subscribers. The Yerevan thermal power was commissioned in 1965 and has not undergone major repairs since. The station serves more than 1 million subscribers, generating 20% of the total electricity produced in the country. -0-