

On February 3, 2023, Environment Deputy Minister Tigran Gabrielyan organized a working meeting to discuss the issue of building a small hydropower plant on Vorotan River by ZANGEZUR ETSSH LLC.
The Vorotan river is one of the 25 rivers on which it is prohibited to build a small hydroelectric power plant nationwide, adopted by the Government of the Republic of Armenia on April 8, 2021,
Rejection of applications for water use permits for newly constructed small hydroelectric power plants, provided for in Decree No. 488-N on defining the list of rivers that are red-listed in Armenia or that are spawning grounds of endemic fish species typical of the area or that are 40 percent or more loaded with derivation pipes.
The decision is due to the requirement of RA Law "On Making Supplements and Amendments to the Water Code of the Republic of Armenia".
We present the letters that became the basis for organizing a working discussion:
1. Letter from "ZANGEZUR ETSSH" LLC to Deputy Chairman of RA NA Defense and Security Committee, MP Armen Khachatryan, requesting to help the company solve the problem of land allocation and change of land status related to RA Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, as well as help in obtaining water use permit and environmental test report from RA Ministry of Environment.
2. The business plan of "ZANGEZUR ETSSH" LLC regarding the construction of a small hydroelectric power station.
3. RA NA MP Armen Khachatryan's letter to RA Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Khachatryan with a request to organize a working discussion with the participation of representatives of the ministry and the company, considering the post-war and social situation of the border village of Vorotan and the company's investment proposal, and to consider possible options for solving the problem.
EcoLur Informational NGO experts have prepared a reference on the distribution of water resources of the Vorotan River, including a description of the conflict of interests of the main water users, regulations and references to the legislation. Inga Zarafyan, President of "EcoLur" Informational NGO, a participant in the discussion, presented the collected information to the interested parties.
February 09, 2023 at 15:08