Armenia's Energy sector

[Vrej1915]

Re: Armenia's Energy sector

Armenian Energy Tariff Set For Further Rise

08.06.2014

Armenia’s state utility regulators have announced plans to raise the price of electricity for households by more than 10 percent one year after sanctioning an even sharper increase in the key energy tariff.

The Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC) gave no reason for the planned price hike in a statement released this week. Nor did it clarify when the measure will take effect.

The electricity price soared by almost 27 percent in July last year following a surge in the cost of Russian natural gas supplied to Armenia. It is used for generating roughly one-third of the country’s electricity. The Russian gas price has remained the same since then and is not expected to rise in the next few years.

Garegin Baghramian, a senior official at the PSRC, attributed the fresh tariff rise planned by the regulators to financial losses reported by power plants and the national electricity distribution network. Speaking to RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am), Baghramian said that the existing retail price does not allow them to operate at a profit. He ruled out the possibility of their inefficiency or mismanagement.

The official rationale is unlikely to satisfy the Armenian government’s political opponents and especially ordinary people. “They have stolen and plundered and live well and think that so do the people,” said one man in Yerevan. “My pension is already barely enough to pay my electricity bills.”

“When they raised the energy tariffs several months ago the authorities said that they will remain unchanged for the next few years,” argued Hrant Bagratian, an opposition parliamentarian. “At least, this is what was said about gas. I can’t understand why they are going to do this now.”

Naira Zohrabian, another opposition lawmaker, similarly said a senior Energy Ministry official assured her last month that electricity supplied to households will not become more expensive.

The electricity price is currently set at 38 drams (9 U.S. cents) per kilowatt/hour. The PSRC wants to raise it to 42 drams per kilowatt/hour.

[Vrej1915]

Re: Armenia's Energy sector

«ՌուսՀիդրո»-ի դուստր ձեռնարկության համար կբարձրացնեն Սեւան-Հրազդանի ՀԷԿ-ի էներգիայի սակագինը

Հունիս 08, 2014

Սեւան-Հրազդան ՀԷԿ-ի էլեկտրաէներգիայի սակագինը կբարձրացնեն: Այդ մասին NEWS.am-ի թղթակցին հայտնել է Հայաստանի հասարակական ծառայությունների կարգավորման հանձնաժողովի սակագնային քաղաքականության վարչության պետ Գարեգին Բաղրամյանը: Նա նշել է, որ սակագնի մեջ հարկավոր է ներառել կասկադի արդիականացման վարկային ծրագրեր ՎԶԵԲ-ի կողմից, ինչպես նաեւ Ասիական զարգացման բանկի կողմից:

Կասկադի ընդհանուր ներդրումները գնահատվում են մոտ 4.4 մլրդ դրամ(10.6 մլն դոլար), որոնք ներառվելու են սակագնի մեջ աստիճանաբար, այդ թվում 2014թ.-ի ընթացքում 650 մլն դրամի չափով(մոտ 1.6 մլն դոլար՝ խմբ.):

Կասկադի սակագինն այժմ Հայաստանում ամենացածրն է վերջին երկու տարվա ընթացքում գրեթե չի փոխվել(2011թ.-ին 0.718 դրամ մեկ կՎտ/ժ դիմաց, իսկ 2013թ.-ին՝ 0.776 դրամ, կամ 0.2 ցենտ): Մեկ դրույք հաշվարկային սակագինը կբարձրանա 1.5 դրամով:

Հիշեցնենք, որ ՎԶԵԲ-ի եւ ԶԱԲ-ի վարկերը 25 մլն-ական եվրո չափով ստացվել են 2013թ.-ին եւ ուղղվել են կասկադի արդիականացմանը, կայանի միջին տարիքը կազմում ավելի քան 50 տարի: «Միջազգային էներգետիկ կորպորացիա» ՓԲԸ-ի գնահատականի համաձայն(ռուսական «ՌուսՀիդրո» ԲԲԸ-ի դուստր ձեռնարկություն)՝ բոլոր կայանների լիարժեք արդիականացման համար 1.5 մլրդ դոլար է հարկավոր:

Կասկադի հզորությունը կազմում է 561 ՄՎտ, կամ Հայաստանի գեներացնող հզորությունների 10 տոկոսը:


Լուրեր Հայաստանից - NEWS.am

[Vrej1915]

Re: Armenia's Energy sector

Armenian Energy Tariff Set For Further Rise

Narine Ghalechian
Հրապարակված է՝ 06.06.2014

Armenia’s state utility regulators have announced plans to raise the price of electricity for households by more than 10 percent one year after sanctioning an even sharper increase in the key energy tariff.

The Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC) gave no reason for the planned price hike in a statement released this week. Nor did it clarify when the measure will take effect.

The electricity price soared by almost 27 percent in July last year following a surge in the cost of Russian natural gas supplied to Armenia. It is used for generating roughly one-third of the country’s electricity. The Russian gas price has remained the same since then and is not expected to rise in the next few years.

Garegin Baghramian, a senior official at the PSRC, attributed the fresh tariff rise planned by the regulators to financial losses reported by power plants and the national electricity distribution network. Speaking to RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am), Baghramian said that the existing retail price does not allow them to operate at a profit. He ruled out the possibility of their inefficiency or mismanagement.

The official rationale is unlikely to satisfy the Armenian government’s political opponents and especially ordinary people. “They have stolen and plundered and live well and think that so do the people,” said one man in Yerevan. “My pension is already barely enough to pay my electricity bills.”

“When they raised the energy tariffs several months ago the authorities said that they will remain unchanged for the next few years,” argued Hrant Bagratian, an opposition parliamentarian. “At least, this is what was said about gas. I can’t understand why they are going to do this now.”

Naira Zohrabian, another opposition lawmaker, similarly said a senior Energy Ministry official assured her last month that electricity supplied to households will not become more expensive.

The electricity price is currently set at 38 drams (9 U.S. cents) per kilowatt/hour. The PSRC wants to raise it to 42 drams per kilowatt/hour.

[Vrej1915]

Re: Armenia's Energy sector

Kocharian Again Speaks Up

http://www.armenialiberty.org/content/article/25432393.html

Հրապարակված է՝ 23.06.2014

Former President Robert Kocharian condemned as illegal the planned privatization of Armenia’s largest hydroelectric plants on Monday as he continued to step up his criticism of the current government’s economic policies.

In a fresh public statement highlighting his possible return to active politics, Kocharian implied that corrupt motives may have been behind this and other controversial government decisions. He also effectively endorsed a list of demands that have been issued to President Serzh Sarkisian by the Armenian opposition.

In written remarks to Yerkir.am, Kocharian decried the sale of the Vorotan Hydro Cascade to a U.S. energy company, ContourGlobal, which was tentatively agreed in January. Under a takeover agreement signed with the Armenian government, the New York-based firm is to pay $180 million and invest $70 million in the three plants making up the cascade. With a combined operational capacity of 405 megawatts, they are nearly as powerful as the Metsamor nuclear plant that accounts for roughly 40 percent of Armenian electricity production.

The Sarkisian administration subsequently put the sale, strongly backed by the U.S. government, on hold for reasons that are not yet clear. Armenian officials have said only that ContourGlobal is currently considering last-minute changes in the deal demanded by Yerevan.

“The only good thing about that deal is the involvement of a U.S. company in the Armenian energy sector,” Kocharian told Yerkir.am. “Everything else does not fit into the bounds of common sense.”

Kocharian, who himself had been denounced by his political opponents for ceding many energy assets to Russia while in power, claimed that the deal is illegal because it has not been authorized by the Armenian parliament. He said it would only benefit the American company by pushing up the price of electricity generated at Vorotan. “Before it’s too late, the acquisition must be seriously revised or abandoned altogether,” he said.

Parliamentary approval of the deal is one of the 12 mostly socioeconomic demands that were jointly issued on June 10 by Armenia’s four main parties challenging Sarkisian. One of those parties, Prosperous Armenia (BHK), is led by Gagik Tsarukian, a wealthy businessman close to Kocharian. The opposition quartet has implicitly threatened to stage anti-government rallies if its demands are fully or partly rejected by Sarkisian.

The BHK and its opposition allies want, among other things, Armenia’s next parliamentary elections to be held only on a party-list list basis. Kocharian voiced support for this idea, despite having ensured during his 1998-2008 presidency that a large part of parliament seats are distributed in single-mandate constituencies.

The existence of those constituencies has been critical for the disputed electoral victories of Sarkisian’s Republican Party of Armenia (HHK). Not surprisingly, the HHK remains opposed to their abolition.

Kocharian also echoed strong opposition criticism of a new mechanism of enforcing fines for traffic violations and collecting car parking fees in Yerevan that has been introduced by the government in recent years. Most of that money goes to two private firms that have installed surveillance cameras on major roads in and outside the capital.

“According unrefuted media reports, those companies are connected to officials,” said Kocharian. He seemed to allude to newspaper allegations that their owners are close friends of President Sarkisian and his controversial brother Aleksandr.

Kocharian similarly suggested that the “insatiability” of unnamed Armenian officials is the key factor behind Vorotan’s planned privatization. The ex-president did not allege, even indirectly, corrupt practices within the government in his previous statements.

[Eddo211]

Re: Armenia's Energy sector

What do you guys think about Kocharian getting back into politics?

[Hakob]

Re: Armenia's Energy sector

What do you guys think about Kocharian getting back into politics?

Should be put back into the bottle.

[londontsi]

Re: Armenia's Energy sector

Should be put back into the bottle.

..... but before that he should be made to empty his pockets ...

.

[Artashes]

Re: Armenia's Energy sector

Kocharian Again Speaks Up

http://www.armenialiberty.org/content/article/25432393.html

Հրապարակված է՝ 23.06.2014

Former President Robert Kocharian condemned as illegal the planned privatization of Armenia’s largest hydroelectric plants on Monday as he continued to step up his criticism of the current government’s economic policies.

In a fresh public statement highlighting his possible return to active politics, Kocharian implied that corrupt motives may have been behind this and other controversial government decisions. He also effectively endorsed a list of demands that have been issued to President Serzh Sarkisian by the Armenian opposition.

In written remarks to Yerkir.am, Kocharian decried the sale of the Vorotan Hydro Cascade to a U.S. energy company, ContourGlobal, which was tentatively agreed in January. Under a takeover agreement signed with the Armenian government, the New York-based firm is to pay $180 million and invest $70 million in the three plants making up the cascade. With a combined operational capacity of 405 megawatts, they are nearly as powerful as the Metsamor nuclear plant that accounts for roughly 40 percent of Armenian electricity production.

The Sarkisian administration subsequently put the sale, strongly backed by the U.S. government, on hold for reasons that are not yet clear. Armenian officials have said only that ContourGlobal is currently considering last-minute changes in the deal demanded by Yerevan.

“The only good thing about that deal is the involvement of a U.S. company in the Armenian energy sector,” Kocharian told Yerkir.am. “Everything else does not fit into the bounds of common sense.”

Kocharian, who himself had been denounced by his political opponents for ceding many energy assets to Russia while in power, claimed that the deal is illegal because it has not been authorized by the Armenian parliament. He said it would only benefit the American company by pushing up the price of electricity generated at Vorotan. “Before it’s too late, the acquisition must be seriously revised or abandoned altogether,” he said.

Parliamentary approval of the deal is one of the 12 mostly socioeconomic demands that were jointly issued on June 10 by Armenia’s four main parties challenging Sarkisian. One of those parties, Prosperous Armenia (BHK), is led by Gagik Tsarukian, a wealthy businessman close to Kocharian. The opposition quartet has implicitly threatened to stage anti-government rallies if its demands are fully or partly rejected by Sarkisian.

The BHK and its opposition allies want, among other things, Armenia’s next parliamentary elections to be held only on a party-list list basis. Kocharian voiced support for this idea, despite having ensured during his 1998-2008 presidency that a large part of parliament seats are distributed in single-mandate constituencies.

The existence of those constituencies has been critical for the disputed electoral victories of Sarkisian’s Republican Party of Armenia (HHK). Not surprisingly, the HHK remains opposed to their abolition.

Kocharian also echoed strong opposition criticism of a new mechanism of enforcing fines for traffic violations and collecting car parking fees in Yerevan that has been introduced by the government in recent years. Most of that money goes to two private firms that have installed surveillance cameras on major roads in and outside the capital.

“According unrefuted media reports, those companies are connected to officials,” said Kocharian. He seemed to allude to newspaper allegations that their owners are close friends of President Sarkisian and his controversial brother Aleksandr.

Kocharian similarly suggested that the “insatiability” of unnamed Armenian officials is the key factor behind Vorotan’s planned privatization. The ex-president did not allege, even indirectly, corrupt practices within the government in his previous statements.

What do you guys think about Kocharian getting back into politics?

Should be put back into the bottle.

..... but before that he should be made to empty his pockets ...

.

Kocharian seems to condemn all the right things for the right reasons in the above post. Sounds good.
Unfortunately, the corrupted principles he condemns --- corruption, self interest --- are the very hallmarks of his presidency. That's kind of like Stalin calling hitler a murderer. Or maybe one American bigot calling another American bigot a bigot.
---- vote no on kocharian ---

[Hakob]

Re: Armenia's Energy sector

This all depends mostly on population's actions. If it becomes inactive, or sells itself for 5000 drams (like last time, after which it started crying of being fooled) or goes after opposition just to vent frustration without really understanding whom it chooses, Kocharian will have the best chance.

[londontsi]

Re: Armenia's Energy sector

This all depends mostly on population's actions. If it becomes inactive, or sells itself for 5000 drams (like last time, after which it started crying of being fooled) or goes after opposition just to vent frustration without really understanding whom it chooses, Kocharian will have the best chance.

Can you name any names who are not stained by corruption and worthwhile candidates?

.