TEHRAN - Iran and Azerbaijan are expected to inaugurate a major water project within the coming days, according to a local official in the bordering province of East Azarbaijan.

Yousef Ghanbarzadeh, the managing general of East Azarbaijan Regional Water Organization, said that the construction of Qiz-Qalasi dam, which is the biggest joint water project of Iran and Azerbaijan, has been completed and will be inaugurated within the next days.

He noted that the project has been carried out by the knowledge and potentials of domestic engineers. 

The project is expected to lead to agricultural prosperity and expansion of tourism in the region, the official said.

Back in March, Iranian Minister of Energy Ali-Akbar Mehrabian and his Azeri counterpart Parviz Shahbazov weighed plans to enhance cooperation, especially in the completion of two joint projects, namely Qiz-Qalasi and Khoda Afarin dams.

Mehrabian said that the Qiz-Qalasi dam will be inaugurated in the near future in a ceremony to be attended by the Iranian and Azeri presidents.

The two energy ministers also held talks about connecting Iran’s electricity grid to that of Russia through the Republic of Azerbaijan.

With a capacity of 62 million cubic meters, the Qiz-Qalasi dam is expected to supply water to the irrigation and drainage networks of Khoda Afarin County in Iran’s northwestern province of East Azarbaijan. The hydroelectric power station at the dam is designed to generate 270 MWh of electricity per annum.

Furthermore, the importance of accelerating the tasks related to hydropower plants was emphasized and it was stressed that the completion of the construction process will be important for both countries.

During the discussions, the two sides also exchanged views on other issues on the energy cooperation agenda of the two countries.

The Minister of Energy of the Republic of Azerbaijan arrived in Tehran on Thursday, March 14, at the head of a delegation.

EF/