Azerbaijan, Baku, July 23 /Trend, E.Ismayilov/
In the first half of 2012, Georgia will complete the construction of the high-voltage electricity transmission line within the project on interconnection of energy systems of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey ("Power Bridge"), Georgian Energy Minister Alexand Khetaguri said in Baku on July 23.
According to the minister, the Georgian side has already started construction of high-voltage transmission line. In its turn, the Azerbaijani side, Azerenergy (production and distribution of electricity in Azerbaijan) should construct a transmission line to the border with Georgia.
"On the territory of Georgia, we have already started the construction of high-voltage transmission line, and the construction to border with Azerbaijan will be completed by the end of 2011, and to border with Turkey in the first half of 2012," Khetaguri said.
According to the minister, integration of energy systems will be the next transnational energy project between Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey after the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline.
Within the project, Georgia should carry out works from the border with Azerbaijan to the border with Turkey on the construction of the line over 350 kilometers and costing about 120 million euros.
Last year, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey signed a memorandum of understanding on the project Power Bridge. A joint project is carried out in three countries. It is funded by the Agency for International Development (USAID). USAID and the Association of Energy jointly carry out financial and technical assistance.
Together with Azerenergy, the State electricity system Georgia and the Turkish Electricity Transmission Corporation will develop a regional model network of high voltage.
The Working Group will review the work of networks of high voltage in all three countries and carry out identification of investment in terms of regional perspectives that will help improve network capacity and the exchange and sale of electricity. This optimizes overall system security.