The Ministry of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources of Armenia ( hy, Հայաստանի Էներգետիկ ենթակառուցվածքների և բնական պաշարների նախարարություն) is the ministry responsible for the management of the energy systems, and control of the

exploitation of natural resources The exploitation of natural resources is the use of natural resources for economic growth, sometimes with a negative connotation of accompanying environmental degradation. It started to emerge on an industrial scale in the 19th century as the e ...

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''O ...

. It elaborates and implements the policies of the

Government of Armenia A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government ...

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

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

. 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. Access to (relatively) cheap energy has become essential to the functioning of modern economies. However, the uneven d ...

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 (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studi ...

economic An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with th ...

legal Law is a set of rules that are created and are law enforcement, enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. ...

organizational An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose. The word is derived fro ...

, methodological, and other activities that provide affordable

prices A price is the (usually not negative) quantity of payment or compensation given by one party to another in return for goods or services. In some situations, the price of production has a different name. If the product is a "good" in t ...

to meet the daily needs of high-quality and reliable

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, current, and frequency to power the load. As ...

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

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

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

energy sector The energy industry is the totality of 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 indust ...

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 effects of human activity on the biophysical environment, most often of which are harmful effects that cause environmental degradation. Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment on t ...

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 hydrophobic, and their odors are usually weak or ...

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 is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...

. Since there are no

fossil fuel A fossil fuel is a hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the remains of dead plants and animals that is extracted and burned as a fuel. The main fossil fuels are coal, oil, and natural gas. Fossil fuels ma ...

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

is to increase energy efficiency in the

economy An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with th ...

, develop nuclear energy, and efficiently use

renewable energy Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...

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 zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

and international political and

socio-economic Socioeconomics (also known as social economics) is the social science that studies how economic activity affects and is shaped by social processes. In general it analyzes how modern societies progress, stagnate, or regress because of their loc ...

rapid development,

global economic crisis Global economic crisis may refer to: *Economic events of the 21st Century: **Financial crisis of 2007–2008 ** Great Recession **The 2020 stock market crash *A global recession *Earlier global economic events, such as: **The Great Depression, a g ...

, 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 located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

, the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

and other

international organizations An international organization or international organisation (see spelling differences), also known as an intergovernmental organization or an international institution, is a stable set of norms and rules meant to govern the behavior of states a ...

. # 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. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chemical energy b ...

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 of ...

(fuel supply), such as

natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbon d ...

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

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. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chemical energy b ...

and

energy In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of ...

transportation Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land ( rail and road), water, cable, pipelin ...

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 that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as describe ...

and gas 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, , ɡɐzˈprom) is a Russian majority state-owned multinational energy corporation headquartered in the Lakhta Center in Saint Petersburg. As of 2019, with sales over $120 billion, it was ranked as the large ...

Regional integration

* Armenia and

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

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 Government ministries of Armenia Energy ministries