YEREVAN, March 29. /ARKA/. The main building of the Armenian government will switch to the use of solar energy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Twitter. The other government buildings will follow suit. Currently, there are three solar power plants in the country, seven more will be operational by the end of 2018, it said. The first ArevEk solar power plant in Armenia with a capacity of 0.5 MW was launched by Energo Invest Holding, part of Tashir group of companies, in late September 2017 in the resort town of Tsaghkadzor. The cost of that solar power plant was said to be about $500 thousand. The other seven new solar power plants will be built in Aragatsotn, Kotayk, Gegharkunik and Ararat provinces of the country. Their licenses will be valid until 2038. Overall, the regulator granted 11 licenses for the construction of solar power plants with a capacity of up to 1 MW. The investment cost of one plant is $1 million. The launch of new plants will mark the completion of the first stage of a program, designed to raise the total capacity of solar plants to 10 MW. A $58-million investment program aimed at renewable energy development was launched in Armenia in summer 2015. The program is designed for five or six years and is being implemented by the Renewable Energy Fund with support from Climate Investment Funds, the Armenian energy and natural resources ministry, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. By 2020 the total capacity of solar power plants in Armenia is supposed to reach 40-50 MW. -0- 16:27 29.03.2018
The Armenian government will use solar power to run its offices, beginning with its main building, according to a tweet from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The move is part of a $58m renewable investment programme, launched in 2015, the first stage of which will conclude with the building of seven solar plants across the country by the end of this year, bringing the country's solar capacity to 10 MW. The Armenian regulator has issued 11 licences for plants with a combined total capacity of 1 GW.