Armenian PM says ENA power distributor should serve nation's interests

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that the country’s main electricity distributor, Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA), must operate in the interests of the Armenian people.

“Armenia has never lost and will not lose when it comes to the ‘Electric Networks of Armenia.’ It must serve the interests of the Armenian people. It cannot be that it does not serve the interests of Armenia,” Pashinyan told reporters at a briefing, Caliber.Az reports. 

The comments come after the Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC) launched proceedings against the ENA on July 18 and appointed Romanos Petrosyan, a board member of Pashinyan’s ruling Civil Contract party, as the company’s temporary manager. The move effectively stripped control from Samvel Karapetyan, a Russian-Armenian businessman and owner of ENA, who was recently arrested.

The prime minister had earlier suggested that the government could consider nationalising the utility, which plays a central role in Armenia’s energy infrastructure.

By Sabina Mammadli