Following PSRC`s decision regarding ENA, a process stipulated by  national legislation to start

ArmInfo.  Following the decision of the Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC) of the Republic of Armenia to revoke Electric Networks of Armenia CJSC's electricity distribution license, a process stipulated by national legislation  will start. PSRC Chairman Mesrop Mesropyan told  journalists on November 17.

According to him, a three-month countdown has now begun. During this  time,  the state will negotiate with the owner or the Board of  Directors regarding the repurchase of the company's shares.  An  acceptable price will be determined after  negotiations. 

If negotiations are unsuccessful,  then the state may assume  preemptive control of the networks. Until this process is completed,  the interim manager will remain in place. After the nationalization  of the networks, the state will determine his status. One option is  to sell the company to another entity, the second is to transfer  management to a state-private consortium, and the third is to  maintain state ownership of the networks.

Mesropyan noted that this situation has never happened in the 34-year  history of independence; it's unfamiliar and there are risks.  However, they are manageable.

"To say that there won't be risks along this path is presumptuous,  but as the head of the PSRC, I officially declare that I will do  everything possible to ensure the country doesn't end up in  turbulence. In any case, the existing and potential risks are  manageable," the regulator said.

Among these risks, Mesropyan noted that in 2026, the Armenian Nuclear  Power Plant will be shut down for scheduled maintenance for five  months, instead of the usual two, which will inevitably impact  tariffs for end consumers. "We'll try to mitigate these  consequences," Mesropyan emphasized, adding that the PSRC has 80 days  to conduct the study. A tariff decision should be made by the end of  the year, with the outcome uncertain on whether they will decrease or  increase. "I remain optimistic that tariffs won't be raised. A longer  shutdown of the ANPP will have a negative impact on tariffs, but with  the availability of other safety nets, we will do everything possible  to avoid such a scenario," the PSRC head said. He added that the  regulator could lower the electricity price to 40-50 drams per month  for each family, but given the expected changes, this shouldn't be  done for the sake of showmanship on the part of certain forces. 

In response to a question regarding PSRC members' recent visit to  Turkey, where, according to several Armenian politicians, the  possibility of transferring the management of the networks to a  Turkish company was allegedly discussed, the head of the PSRC  confirmed that three members of the regulatory body did visit Turkey  in October of this year. They attended a meeting of the Regional  Energy Regulatory Association. Armenia has been a founding member of  this association since 1999. Forty-seven countries are represented in  this association. Moreover, at the Association's meeting in May of  this year in Oman, PSRC member Sergey Aghinyan was elected to the  presidium of this international organization for a three-year term.  Mesropyan emphasized that conferences are held in various member  countries of the Association every two years to discuss various  energy-related issues. "In light if these events, talking about  transferring the management of the networks to the Turks, excuse me,  resembles Goebbels-style propaganda, where the bigger the lie, the  more they believe," the head of the PSRC emphasized.