(RIA Novosti) - Georgia and Iran have signed a long-term barter agreement on supplies of electric energy from Iran, the Georgian energy minister said Tuesday.
Nika Gilauri, who came to Georgia from an official visit to Tehran, said the electricity exchange will be based on a parity basis, plus the cost of transit. Under the agreement, Georgia will import electricity from Iran in wintertime, and will return it to Iran in summertime at a volume of 50 megawatts, reports Trend.
"We have done everything possible to diversify electricity supply routes to Georgia as much as possible," Gilauri said. "Agreements on electricity imports, whether under barter schemes or through parallel operations of energy systems, have been signed with all neighboring countries - Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Iran."
If the agreement with Iran is successful and the construction of a new electric power line uniting the energy grids of Georgia, Armenia and Iran is completed, deliveries of Iranian electricity could amount to 350 megawatts, the minister said.