The Ministry of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources of Armenia () is the ministry responsible for the management of the energy systems, and control of the

exploitation of natural resources The exploitation of natural resources describes using natural resources, often non-renewable or limited, for economic growth or development. Environmental degradation, human insecurity, and social conflict frequently accompany natural resource ex ...

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

. It elaborates and implements the policies of the

Government of Armenia The Government of the Republic of Armenia () or the executive branch of the Armenian government is an executive council of government ministers in Armenia. It is one of the three main governmental branches of Armenia and is headed by the Pr ...

in the energy sector. Its history can be traced to the time that Armenia was part of the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. Since that time, many ministers have changed, as well as, the official name of the ministry, although maintaining the word 'energy' in its name throughout. As of 2016, it is one of the 18 ministries in Armenia, and plays an important role in regulating the laws and policies regarding the energy and natural resource spheres.

History

Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of the Republic of Armenia

The Armenian energy system has a 100-year history, during which time the ArmEnergo department played an important role. ArmEnergo was formed in November 1936 by the decision of the

, with the aim of managing and controlling the exploitation and development of electric stations and networks. The two hydropower plants of Yerevan, the Gyumri HPP, Dzora HPP and other technical services were part of ArmEnergo. Later on, ArmEnergo became the official body eligible to control the entire energy system of Armenia. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Armenian economic reforms, and dawn of an energy crisis, Armenia required new control mechanisms. In order to overcome this, in 1992 the Ministry of Energy and Fuel of the Republic of Armenia was established. The ministry was renamed as the Ministry of Energy of The Republic of Armenia on 4 August 1995 by a decision of the Armenian government. Once more, the ministry was renamed as Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of The Republic of Armenia by a decree of the Armenian president on 18 April 2008, and once more renamed as the Ministry of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources of The Republic of Armenia on 30 September 2016. Today, the main aim of the ministry is to develop and maintain the governance policy of Armenia in the sphere of energy infrastructures and natural resources.

Structure

Ashot Manukyan is the current Minister, and the Deputy Ministers are Areg Galstyan, Iosif Isayan, Hayk Harutyunyan, and Vardan Gevorgyan. The structure of the ministry is as follows: * The Minister * Deputy Ministers * Ministry staff * Staff of the Minister * State non-profit organizations * Companies governed by ministry * Public Agencies Operational in the System of Governance of the Ministry

Natural resources

The mining sector is a very important part or Armenia’s national economy. Ore concentrates and metals are the main goods exported from Armenia, making up about half of all exported goods. About 670 mines are officially registered, of which more than half (around 400 mines) are exploited. The ministry reports that there is an abundance of iron, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, gold, silver, antimony, aluminum, and also other types of minerals and metals in Armenia. Metal mineral mines include 7 copper-molybdenum mines, 4 copper mines, 14 gold and gold-polymetallic mines, 2 polymetallic mine, 2 iron ore mines, and 1 aluminum mine. As a result of volcanic processes, mountainous rocks were formed. Notable ones are light rocks (tufa, perlite, pumice-stone, zeolite, scoria). In addition, different types of basalts, granites, nephelite syenite, and marble make up a large percent of resources in Armenia.

Energy sources

While being surrounded by countries that have significant hydrocarbon reserves, Armenia does not have enough fossil fuels and coal to be able to use them for producing energy. As such, Armenia is totally dependent on fuel that is imported from abroad as a fuel source for transportation, generating energy, and producing heat. Research shows that Armenia has some fossil fuel reserves which are mostly located near Gyumri and Spitak, but they are located so deep that it is not economically feasible to extract them. In the 1990s, during the energy crisis, Armenia succeeded in constructing a large energy system. However, compared with 1988, when the energy generated capacity was more than 3.5 gigawatts, in 2010 it was just 1.2 gigawatts, which can be explained by the Armenian Government's decision to close some of the thermal power plants and one of the 2 reactors at the

Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant The Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (ANPP) (), also known as the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant, (Armenian: Մեծամորի ատոմային էլեկտրակայան) is the only nuclear power plant in the South Caucasus, located 36 kilometers west o ...

. As a result, Armenia has started utilizing various renewable energy sources.

Energy security

The concept of

energy security Energy security is the association between national security and the availability of natural resources for energy consumption (as opposed to household energy insecurity). Access to cheaper energy has become essential to the functioning of modern ...

in Armenia is aimed at ensuring the conformity with the provisions set out in the National Security Strategy of Armenia. Energy security is a system of

political Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...

economic An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...

legal Law is a set of rules that are created and are law enforcement, enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a Socia ...

organizational An organization or organisation (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English; American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), see spelling differences) is an legal entity, entity—such as ...

methodological In its most common sense, methodology is the study of research methods. However, the term can also refer to the methods themselves or to the philosophical discussion of associated background assumptions. A method is a structured procedure for bri ...

, and other activities that provide affordable

prices A price is the (usually not negative) quantity of payment or compensation expected, required, or given by one party to another in return for goods or services. In some situations, especially when the product is a service rather than a phys ...

to meet the daily needs of high-quality and

reliable Reliability, reliable, or unreliable may refer to: Science, technology, and mathematics Computing * Data reliability (disambiguation), a property of some disk arrays in computer storage * Reliability (computer networking), a category used to des ...

power supply A power supply is an electrical device that supplies electric power to an electrical load. The main purpose of a power supply is to convert electric current from a source to the correct voltage, electric current, current, and frequency to power ...

, as well as in emergency situations, such as during periods of

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

. Armenia has adopted a sustainable development policy which implies the development of the

energy sector The energy industry refers to all of the industries involved in the production and sale of energy, including fuel extraction, manufacturing, refining and distribution. Modern society consumes large amounts of fuel, and the energy industry is a cr ...

as the most important area. This sector's aim is to ensure the kind of progress that will create preconditions for the harmonization and balance of

environmental issues Environmental issues are disruptions in the usual function of ecosystems. Further, these issues can be caused by humans (human impact on the environment) or they can be natural. These issues are considered serious when the ecosystem cannot recov ...

for sustainable development of the next generation, while reducing energy loss. Because of Armenia's limited

hydrocarbon In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons are examples of group 14 hydrides. Hydrocarbons are generally colourless and Hydrophobe, hydrophobic; their odor is usually fain ...

resources, energy security has become imperative for the presence of

energy resources World energy resources are the estimated maximum capacity for energy production given all available resources on Earth. They can be divided by type into fossil fuel, nuclear fuel and renewable resources. Fossil fuel Remaining reserves of fo ...

, including the balance of

renewable energy sources Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind power, and hydropower. Bioenergy and ...

. Since there are no

fossil fuel A fossil fuel is a flammable carbon compound- or hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the buried remains of prehistoric organisms (animals, plants or microplanktons), a process that occurs within geolog ...

resources in Armenia, the function of Ministry of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources of

is to increase

energy efficiency Energy efficiency may refer to: * Energy efficiency (physics), the ratio between the useful output and input of an energy conversion process ** Electrical efficiency, useful power output per electrical power consumed ** Mechanical efficiency, a rat ...

in the

economy An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...

, develop

nuclear energy Nuclear energy may refer to: *Nuclear power, the use of sustained nuclear fission or nuclear fusion to generate heat and electricity *Nuclear binding energy, the energy needed to fuse or split a nucleus of an atom *Nuclear potential energy, the pot ...

, and efficiently use

renewable energy Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable resource, renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human lifetime, human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind pow ...

resources. The adoption of the concept of energy security is due to:(August 2005)
Energy Sector Development Strategies in the Context of Economic Development in Armenia
DF ''www.nature-ic.am''. Information Center of the Ministry of Nature Protection. Retrieved 11 December 2016. # The

regional In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

and international political and

socio-economic Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analys ...

rapid development, global economic crisis, as well as Armenia's energy independence, security in times of emergency and war. # Proper engagement of Armenia in regional programs that are implemented in the region by the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and other

international organizations An international organization, also known as an intergovernmental organization or an international institution, is an organization that is established by a treaty or other type of instrument governed by international law and possesses its own leg ...

. # The importance of creating a long-term strategic reserves of

fuel A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as thermal energy or to be used for work (physics), work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chem ...

and other energy resources.

Strategic plans

Strategic plans of the ministry are based on a three-level diversification policy: # Generation of energy ( HPPs, NPPs, TPPs, and other power plants) #

Energy supply Energy supply is the delivery of fuels or transformed fuels to point of consumption. It potentially encompasses the extraction, transmission, generation, distribution and storage of fuels. It is also sometimes called energy flow. This supply o ...

(fuel supply), such as

natural gas Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) and lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...

and other fuels #

Fuel A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as thermal energy or to be used for work (physics), work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chem ...

and

energy Energy () is the physical quantity, quantitative physical property, property that is transferred to a physical body, body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of Work (thermodynamics), work and in the form of heat and l ...

transportation Transport (in British English) or transportation (in American English) is the intentional Motion, movement of humans, animals, and cargo, goods from one location to another. Mode of transport, Modes of transport include aviation, air, land tr ...

delivery by pipelines, oil product delivery and other related transportation The three-level diversification policy's aim is to provide a sufficient level of energy security, to have

electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

and

gas Gas is a state of matter that has neither a fixed volume nor a fixed shape and is a compressible fluid. A ''pure gas'' is made up of individual atoms (e.g. a noble gas like neon) or molecules of either a single type of atom ( elements such as ...

consumption reserves in emergency situations. In the framework of this policy, there are programs to neutralize internal and external threats, including the extension of the

Armenian Nuclear Power Plant The Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (ANPP) (), also known as the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant, (Armenian: Մեծամորի ատոմային էլեկտրակայան) is the only nuclear power plant in the South Caucasus, located 36 kilometers west o ...

, and for the construction of new cost-effective electricity generating facilities.Galstyan, Areg (2014)
Energy Strategy of Armenia Accomplishments, Challenges, Next Steps
DF ''www.minenergy.am''. Ministry of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources of The Republic of Armenia. Retrieved 11 December 2016. Hovhannisyan, Karen (2003)

http://www.minenergy.am/storage/files/pages/pg_0732707265_MoENR_Presentation_June3.pdf Sustainable Development and Energy Security in Armenia: a Step Towards Dilemma] DF ''www.lumes.lu.se''. Lund University. Retrieved 11 December 2016.

Achievements of the ministry

Construction of new generating capacities

* '' Yerevan Combined Cycle Gas Power Plant'': This project was completed in 2013. Through this project, Iranian and Armenian economic efficiency increased. * ''Hrazdan N5

Combined Cycle Gas Turbine A combined cycle power plant is an assembly of heat engines that work in tandem from the same source of heat, converting it into mechanical energy. On land, when used to make electricity the most common type is called a combined cycle gas turb ...

'', with an installed capacity of 440 MW: This project was accomplished in December 2013, which was implemented within the framework of agreement between the

and

Gazprom PJSC Gazprom ( rus, Газпром, , ɡɐsˈprom) is a Russian State-owned enterprise, majority state-owned multinational Energy industry, energy corporation headquartered in the Lakhta Center in Saint Petersburg. The Gazprom name is a contract ...

Regional integration

* Armenia and

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

signed the ''Parallel Operation Agreement'', in which

and

agree to provide power to each other during emergency situations. * Armenia and Georgia accepted the investigation of interconnection transmission lines with establishment of a substation with a back-to-back converter at an overall power of 1,050 MW, and marked Amendment N2 to the New Transmission Line Construction Agreement on April 16, 2014.

Investment Projects

The Ministry of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources of Armenia has continuous goals to contribute to the development of the energy sector in Armenia. Thus, every year, it seeks to accomplish new projects in the field of renewable energy in conjunction with various international companies and investors.

References

External links

Official website

Ministry of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources
on Facebook {{authority control Energy in Armenia Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources