Pipeline repairs in Georgia halt Russian gas deliveries to Armenia

Natural gas deliveries from Russia to Armenia have been temporarily suspended due to emergency repair work on a section of the gas pipeline in Georgia, Gazprom Armenia CJSC announced.

According to the company’s press service, the interruption is scheduled to last from 09:00 to 18:00 on March 18, as repairs are carried out on the Kazakh-Saguramo section (DN 1000) of the North Caucasus–Transcaucasus transit gas trunkline in Georgia, Caliber.Az reports citing Russian media.

Despite the temporary suspension, Gazprom Armenia assured that natural gas supplies to Armenian consumers will continue without any restrictions. This will be ensured through internal reserves and additional volumes of natural gas imported from Iran.

Gazprom remains the sole supplier of natural gas to Armenia, with Gazprom Armenia CJSC, a fully owned subsidiary of the Russian energy giant, managing the country’s gas transmission network.

Armenia has also been receiving natural gas from Iran since 2009 as part of a barter agreement under the Gas for Electricity program. Under this arrangement, Armenia processes Iranian gas into electricity and exports it back to Iran at a rate of 3 kWh per cubic meter of gas. Armenian power plants generate approximately 4–4.5 kWh of electricity per cubic meter of Iranian gas, allowing the surplus to remain in Armenia.

The Gas for Electricity program is expected to continue under the current agreement until 2030.

By Tamilla Hasanova