# Hydroelectricity in Armenia

Hydropower generates about 30% of Armenia's electricity but its share varies a lot from year to year.
Hydro power plants provide 70 percent of Armenia's renewable energy. Major HPP capacities are installed within Sevan-Hrazdan Cascade and Vorotan Cascade. The hydropower potential of Armenia is reported to be 21.8 billion kWh.
As of the 1 January 2018, electricity was generated by 184 small HPPs, with total installed capacity of 353 MW. In 2017 the generation of the electricity from small HPPs was around 862 million kW*h, which is about 11% of the total generated electricity in Armenia (7762 million kW*h). As of 1 January 2018, and according to the provided licenses, 36 additional SHPPs are under construction, with about total projected 69 MW capacity and 250 million kW*h electricity annual supply.
The economically justified hydropower potential of Armenia is around 3.600 GWh/year.From this amount, 1.500 GWh/year (or about 42% of economically justified hydropower potential) has been developed already.Six of the plants are in the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.

## Large plants

Armenia has nine hydroelectric power plants which together accounted for one third of its domestic electricity generation. The plants are grouped along two cascades: the Sevan–Hrazdan Cascade and the Vorotan Cascade. The following table lists the details of each cascade:
| Plant | Year built | Installed Capacity (MW) | Annual Average Production (GWh) | Ownership |
| Sevan-Hrazdan Cascade | 1936–1961 | 556 | 936 (reduced to 487 because of the level of Lake Sevan) | International Energy Corporation CJSC (privatized in June 2003) (90% of which belongs to Tashir Group, owned by Samvel Karapetyan) |
| Sevan Hydro Power Plant | 1949 | 34.2 | 50 | International Energy Corporation CJSC (privatized in June 2003) (90% of which belongs to Tashir Group, owned by Samvel Karapetyan) |
| Atarbekyan Hydro Power Plant (Hrazdan) | 1959 | 81.6 | 136 | International Energy Corporation CJSC (privatized in June 2003) (90% of which belongs to Tashir Group, owned by Samvel Karapetyan) |
| Gyumush Hydro Power Plant (Argel) | 1953 | 224 | 378 | International Energy Corporation CJSC (privatized in June 2003) (90% of which belongs to Tashir Group, owned by Samvel Karapetyan) |
| Arzni Hydro Power Plant | 1956 | 70.5 | 13 | International Energy Corporation CJSC (privatized in June 2003) (90% of which belongs to Tashir Group, owned by Samvel Karapetyan) |
| Kanaker Hydro Power Plant | 1936 | 102 | 151 | International Energy Corporation CJSC (privatized in June 2003) (90% of which belongs to Tashir Group, owned by Samvel Karapetyan) |
| Yerevan 1 Hydro Power Plant | 1961 | 44 | 83 | International Energy Corporation CJSC (privatized in June 2003) (90% of which belongs to Tashir Group, owned by Samvel Karapetyan) |
| Vorotan Cascade | 1970–1984 | 405.46 | 1010.7 | US company CountourGlobal |
| Spandaryan Hydro Power Plant | 1984 | 76 | 154 | US company CountourGlobal |
| Shamb Hydro Power Plant | 1977 | 171 | 272 | US company CountourGlobal |
| Tatev Hydro Power Plant | 1970 | 157.2 | 580 | US company CountourGlobal |

### Planned projects

Though both Iran and Armenia have long discussed opening a 140 MW, joint hydro power plant on the Artak's River – Meghri HPP (also known as the Araks Hydro Power Plant) – by mid-2021, the project had not begun construction. Coupled with the 60 MW Loriberd HPP, these projects would add a cumulative generation of 1,012 million kWh/year. The Meghri Hydro Power Plant is a joint Armenian-Iranian project slated to be constructed on the Araks River near Armenia's southern border town of Meghri.
In 2010, the energy ministers of Armenia and Iran signed a document on the long-anticipated construction of two hydropower stations on the Arax River. The agreement stipulates that the $323 million project will be fundamentally financed and operated by Iran, 793 million kWh of energy transported to Iran annually, and the stations transferred to Armenia's ownership 15 years later. Construction was expected to commence in 2011 and take five years to complete. By 2021, construction had not begun.

### Small plants

According to a USAID sponsored report, 313 small hydroelectric power plants (small HPPs) with an installed capacity of 243.366 MW and an average yearly electricity production of 737.38 GWh are installed in the country.
List of notable small hydroelectric power plants in Armenia :
| Name of water reservoir | Number of HPP units | Total installed capacity (MW) | Average yearly production (GWh) |
| Debed River | 79 | 35.501 | 123.47 |
| Aghstev River | 67 | 58.270 | 159.27 |
| Akhuryan River | 14 | 24.985 | 79.75 |
| Kasakh River | 14 | 7.905 | 19.16 |
| Hrazdan River | 13 | 9.070 | 27.37 |
| Lake Sevan | 20 | 22.965 | 66.03 |
| Azat River and Vedi River | 20 | 18.215 | 56.15 |
| Arpa River | 26 | 35.410 | 88.58 |
| Meghri River and Voghdji River | 53 | 21.245 | 72.63 |
| Vorotan River | 8 | 9.800 | 44.97 |
| Total | 313 | 243.366 | 737.38 |

## History

Some plants were lost in the 2nd Nagorno-Karabakh war leading to electricity shortages after cables connecting the enclave were damaged.