GEOECONOMICS OF HYDROPOWER POTENTIAL OF ARMENIA: ECONOMIC, POLITICAL AND ECOLOGICAL FACTORS

The potential of the hydropower complex of Armenia is presented in the context of ensuring energy security. The prospects for the development of hydropower in Armenia are determined via the challenges of diversification of the energy security system. Special attention is paid to the problems of international cooperation in the field of hydropower, in particular, the problems and prospects for the construction of the Armenian-Iranian Meghri HPP are studied. The authors identify a number of geopolitical and economic reasons for freezing the project. The possibility of exporting electricity from Armenia to Iran is assessed in the context of a growing energy deficit in the Islamic Republic. Various aspects of state policy in the hydropower sector are critically examined. The peculiarities of small hydropower functioning in Armenia are studied with the determination of its strategic role in ensuring the energy security of the republic. It was established that in the conditions of liberalization of the electricity market it is necessary to create equal conditions for all energy sectors, thus ensuring a convergent approach to the harmonious development of the energy system.