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Power Struggle: Villagers say HPPs being exploited at expense of their resources
http://armenianow.com/society/46104/hydropower_plants_byurakan_amberd_river
SOCIETY | 15.05.13 | 15:38
Photo: www.wikipedia.org
By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
Small hydropower plants built and yet to-be-built on rivers of Armenia
have raised a discontent among the local population of Armenian
provinces. Villagers warn that hydropower plants (HPPs) exhaust
irrigation water, challenging farming and harming the ecosystems.
While authorities are licensing various companies to build more
hydropower plants, residents of the target villages trash the
construction pipes stocked there, block the roads and highways, and
declare they won't concede to another `oligarch'.
Residents of Byurakan village, Aragatsotn province, are unhappy about
the small hydro being built on the Amberd River. Last week Ujan
villagers joined them and blocked the Yerevan-Gyumri highway. There
are three small HPPs on Amberd, run by `Amberd HPP' LLC; this would be
the fourth.
`We suffer from water insufficiency because of the existing hydropower
plants; if a new one is exploited drinking and irrigation waters
flowing from Aragats to the villages will be cut. They did not hold
public discussions in our village and are doing whatever they want
right in front of our eyes, depriving us from our source of living.
This new hydro belongs to Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepyan's son,'
says Sahak Mkhitaryan, resident of Byurakan.
Residents of Marts village, northern Lori province, pushed the pipes
for the construction of Martsiget-1 small hydro down the gorge. They
are unhappy that 30 hectares of forage area would dry out and they
would no longer be able to collect hay for their livestock, it would
also endanger their orchards they say.
Villagers complain that `Marts Energy' LLC has started the
construction without the expert conclusion required by the RA law on
`Environmental impact expertise'; neither were public hearings held.
`Environmental Expertise' state non-commercial organization did not
approve the project. The villagers have signed a petition and sent it
to the ministry of environmental protection.
The Armenian government favors small HPPs, viewing them as beneficial
for the country's sustainable development and ecologically harmless.
In 1997 there were only 11 of them, part of which are not fit for
exploitation now. Today, there are 144; 130 of which are licensed.
(The electric power demand in Armenia is met 30 percent by HPPs, 40
percent by the nuclear power plant, and 30 percent by thermoelectric
power plant.)
Aram Gabrielyan, coordinator of United Nation's Framework Convention
on Climate Change, says construction of small hydropower plants is
pure business, and common people do not benefit from it anyhow;
instead the rivers Vorotan and Hrazdan have suffered, having lost
their `feeding' capacity.
`The more small hydropower plants are built, the higher is the
electric power tariffs. The reverse process would be the case if the
republic had more big HPPs,' he says.
Currently 1kWh of electric power in the daytime costs 30 drams (7
cents) and 20 drams (5 cents) at night, instead of former 25 drams (6
cents) during the single-tariff system.
Gabrielyan say those international organizations investing in small
HPP development in Armenia, are thinking of provision of loans to
build the plants, rather than fostering the use of solar energy,
because there are guarantees that their loans would be returned along
with interest.
In Shatin village, Vayots Dzor province, the construction of Yegheg
small hydro on the River Yeghegis has started without the villagers'
prior consent. By now 12 licenses have been granted for building HPPs
on this river. According to the Ombudsman's regional office
representative in Vayots Dzor Lusine Martirosyan, villagers complain
of lack of public discussions. There was only one public hearing,
during which the village voted against, the other two were not held at
all, failing to suspend the construction of the small hydro.
The Armenian state encourages the construction of small HPPs and, with
the support of the Norwegian government, implements `Norway-Armenia
cooperation project for sustainable development of small hydropower
plants'. Project national coordinator Inessa Gabayan believes saying
`no' to HPPs is not the right way, and villagers should have their
input in controlling those, rather than just complaining.
`The sphere is rather business-attractive, but only at first sight.
There is no monopoly here. However, we have serious legislative
issues... Our project goal is bringing to surface those issues and
ensure sustainable development of the sphere. I see the solution in
using the state-of-the-art technologies. The specifically designed
devices would register all the shortcomings of HPP exploitation,' she
says.
http://armenianow.com/society/46104/hydropower_plants_byurakan_amberd_river
SOCIETY | 15.05.13 | 15:38
Photo: www.wikipedia.org
By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
Small hydropower plants built and yet to-be-built on rivers of Armenia
have raised a discontent among the local population of Armenian
provinces. Villagers warn that hydropower plants (HPPs) exhaust
irrigation water, challenging farming and harming the ecosystems.
While authorities are licensing various companies to build more
hydropower plants, residents of the target villages trash the
construction pipes stocked there, block the roads and highways, and
declare they won't concede to another `oligarch'.
Residents of Byurakan village, Aragatsotn province, are unhappy about
the small hydro being built on the Amberd River. Last week Ujan
villagers joined them and blocked the Yerevan-Gyumri highway. There
are three small HPPs on Amberd, run by `Amberd HPP' LLC; this would be
the fourth.
`We suffer from water insufficiency because of the existing hydropower
plants; if a new one is exploited drinking and irrigation waters
flowing from Aragats to the villages will be cut. They did not hold
public discussions in our village and are doing whatever they want
right in front of our eyes, depriving us from our source of living.
This new hydro belongs to Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepyan's son,'
says Sahak Mkhitaryan, resident of Byurakan.
Residents of Marts village, northern Lori province, pushed the pipes
for the construction of Martsiget-1 small hydro down the gorge. They
are unhappy that 30 hectares of forage area would dry out and they
would no longer be able to collect hay for their livestock, it would
also endanger their orchards they say.
Villagers complain that `Marts Energy' LLC has started the
construction without the expert conclusion required by the RA law on
`Environmental impact expertise'; neither were public hearings held.
`Environmental Expertise' state non-commercial organization did not
approve the project. The villagers have signed a petition and sent it
to the ministry of environmental protection.
The Armenian government favors small HPPs, viewing them as beneficial
for the country's sustainable development and ecologically harmless.
In 1997 there were only 11 of them, part of which are not fit for
exploitation now. Today, there are 144; 130 of which are licensed.
(The electric power demand in Armenia is met 30 percent by HPPs, 40
percent by the nuclear power plant, and 30 percent by thermoelectric
power plant.)
Aram Gabrielyan, coordinator of United Nation's Framework Convention
on Climate Change, says construction of small hydropower plants is
pure business, and common people do not benefit from it anyhow;
instead the rivers Vorotan and Hrazdan have suffered, having lost
their `feeding' capacity.
`The more small hydropower plants are built, the higher is the
electric power tariffs. The reverse process would be the case if the
republic had more big HPPs,' he says.
Currently 1kWh of electric power in the daytime costs 30 drams (7
cents) and 20 drams (5 cents) at night, instead of former 25 drams (6
cents) during the single-tariff system.
Gabrielyan say those international organizations investing in small
HPP development in Armenia, are thinking of provision of loans to
build the plants, rather than fostering the use of solar energy,
because there are guarantees that their loans would be returned along
with interest.
In Shatin village, Vayots Dzor province, the construction of Yegheg
small hydro on the River Yeghegis has started without the villagers'
prior consent. By now 12 licenses have been granted for building HPPs
on this river. According to the Ombudsman's regional office
representative in Vayots Dzor Lusine Martirosyan, villagers complain
of lack of public discussions. There was only one public hearing,
during which the village voted against, the other two were not held at
all, failing to suspend the construction of the small hydro.
The Armenian state encourages the construction of small HPPs and, with
the support of the Norwegian government, implements `Norway-Armenia
cooperation project for sustainable development of small hydropower
plants'. Project national coordinator Inessa Gabayan believes saying
`no' to HPPs is not the right way, and villagers should have their
input in controlling those, rather than just complaining.
`The sphere is rather business-attractive, but only at first sight.
There is no monopoly here. However, we have serious legislative
issues... Our project goal is bringing to surface those issues and
ensure sustainable development of the sphere. I see the solution in
using the state-of-the-art technologies. The specifically designed
devices would register all the shortcomings of HPP exploitation,' she
says.