Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran agree on connecting power systems

Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran have signed an agreement on a joint feasibility study to connect power systems of the three states, Russian dispatching company System Operator said in a statement.

The agreement was signed on August 12. According to the statement, the countries have signed an agreement on joint development of a feasibility study of a project to create the North–South power corridor between the power systems of Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia, RIA Novosti reported.

The agreement was signed by Russia's System Operator and state power grid holding Rosseti, Azerbaijan's state power producer Azerenerji, and Iran's Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution Company Tavanir.

Economic expert Rovshan Ibrahimov, speaking to the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that export, import and power transmission between Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran is constantly growing. "At the same time, energy networks of not only our three countries are synchronizing, but also of Georgia and Turkey, that is, energy cooperation is becoming increasingly significant. In general, the agreement recently signed should be considered as part of the North-South international transport corridor project, which includes the transportation of energy resources - a corresponding agreement was signed between Russia and Iran earlier. Azerbaijan’s transport infrastructure is developed enough to actively participate in export-import operations between Russia and Iran," he said.

"At present, Azerbaijan has increased electricity generation, so the North-South energy corridor is its opportunity to increase non-oil exports. Both Iran and Russia need additional energy transportation in the winter seasons, so network synchronization and the transfer of excess energy from Azerbaijan to neighboring countries will have a positive effect both in trade and in economic terms. The North-South project will provide our countries with timely supply of electricity in case of such a need, and this will allow developing camping, without delaying economic or economic projects for later," Rovshan Ibrahimov added.

The chief researcher at the Center for the Study of Central Asia, the Caucasus and Urals-Volga Region of the Institute for Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Stanislav Pritchin, in turn, pointed out the importance of supplementing the infrastructural axis of Iran-Azerbaijan-Russia with an electric power component. "This is how the general transport infrastructure of the North-South is being built. In general, the countries already have an expanded infrastructure network, which will be supplemented by a single energy system. Our countries have slightly different energy consumption cycles, so that the connected power systems will allow a more flexible approach to energy supply and flow during peak and off-peak periods. That is, electricity in all three countries will be used more efficiently due to the common infrastructure," he explained.