BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 20. The connection of the energy system of Iran and Russia via Azerbaijan will contribute to further strengthening of relations and cooperation, the Iranian Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi said, Trend reports.
He made the remarks in a statement following a meeting with Russian Energy Minister Sergey Tsivilyov in Tehran on November 19.
According to him, proposals to connect and synchronize power grids have been put forward for many years. Iran and Russia have large power systems. Interconnecting the two countries' power systems could create a large power system in the region from which other countries could benefit.
Aliabadi stated that detailed discussions were held today with his Russian counterpart in the direction of interconnecting the two countries' power grids. The Russian side expressed its readiness to cooperate in this field.
The Iranian minister noted that Iran currently has direct electrical connections with neighboring countries and intends to develop these connections.
“The voltage level of Iran's power grid is 400 kilovolts. Iran is interested in increasing the voltage level to reduce losses in the transmission of electricity. To transport electricity to other countries, the voltage level should be increased,” he said.
Russian Energy Minister Sergey Tsivilyov also noted that Russia is interested in expanding cooperation with Iran and added that Russia has many joint projects with Iran. The new electricity utilization strategy should be adjusted. The exchange of technical knowledge with Iran to eliminate needs in the direction of supplies, including gas turbines, is included in the Russian program.
To note, the project to create a North-South energy corridor between Iran, Azerbaijan, and Russia is underway. The goal is to synchronize the power grids of the three countries. The necessary design work for this project is being carried out by the Iranian company Monenko.