Armenia announces tender for 55 MW solar project

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Armenia’s Ministry of Energy Infrastructure and Natural Resources announced it will issue a tender for the construction of a 55 MW PV power plant in Masrik, Gegharkunik province, eastern Armenia. State-owned press agency Arka reports that already 40 unspecified developers have expressed interest in the project, and that only 10 were prequalified for the tender.

Deputy Minister Hayk Harutyunyan said the project’s required investment should be between $40 million and $60 million. The tender is scheduled to be completed in the second quarter of next year. The minister also said that the project could be expanded to 100 MW at a later stage, depending on the investor’s interest.

The project is part of the national plan for the development of renewable energies and is one of six PV plants with a combined capacity of 110 MW that the government is currently supporting through a recently created ad hoc commission.

The commission is formed by representatives from the Ministry of Energy Infrastructure and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Economic Development and Investments, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Central Bank and the State Services Regulatory Commission.

In late April, the Republic of Armenia Ministry of Economic Development and Investment announced it exempted solar project developers from paying customs duties on the import of PV components for the first time.

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In mid-April, the Ministry of Energy announced the start of construction on the country’s third 1 MW PV plant being developed under the special tariff regime introduced by the Armenian Public Services regulation commission (PSRC) in December 2016.

The Armenian government is currently supporting PV projects up to 1 MW through a FIT scheme and residential and commercial solar up to 150 kW through net-metering.

Armenia’s six-year $58 million solar program is directed by the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Foundation, a non-governmental organization whose mission is to facilitate investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy in Armenia. The scheme is also supported by the Climate Investment Funds, the Armenian Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank.

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