EcoLur
Shorzha Mine development project doesn’t have any environmental impact part on Lake Sevan. The public hearings on this project submitted by “Gegamet Plus” Company were held in Shorzha Village on 22 February. EcoLur presents the video and script of the hearings participated by the representatives of “Gegamet Plus” Company, the State Environmental Expertise of Nature Protection Ministry, public and local residents.
Shahen Khachatryan, “Gegamet Plus” Company: “Our project has already got widespread public response. In 2011 we carried out reassessment of the reserves, and chromites and platinoids were added to what we already had – platinum, gold and palladium. This project presents three mines: magnesium- silicate ore contains metals. Everything here can be used, including the tails, which are proper for cement and we will send them to Ararat cement plant.”
Karine Movsisyan, Environmental Expertise: “We received opinions from the Scientific-Expert Committee on Lake Sevan and stakeholder departments. We draw up opinions on these grounds. Reminder: the discussions were launched in 2008, when the project received quite a positive opinion from the Chairman of the Committee on Lake Sevan Problems Rafayel Hovhannisyan, that the ore here is quite similar in its composition with the sand on the shore of Lake Sevan and is suitable for using beach improvement. Under the project, the area of three mines occupies 0.8, 3.6 and 4.5 ha. The usable resources of the first mine makes up 104,600 cubic meters, those of the second mine – 1,275,300 cubic meters and those of the third mine – 1,253,100 cubic meters. The environmental measures envisage dust deposition, recultivation works after mine development and measures for reducing harmful impact of diesel fuel. The funds designed for measures make up 2,504,100 AMD. The main remark made by Committee on Lake Sevan is that the mines will be developed in the territory of “Sevan” National Park, trucks used for the transportation of crushed ram materials should have closed bodies, as so not to spread any dust. There are also remarks on the recultivation, which is reflected in the conclusion of the project. The Agency for Water Resources also has its remarks on the water use, but they don’t concern to this project, but the plant. The company should conduct a monitoring and we want to involve NGOs in this monitoring. In general, our opinion is positive, and if our requirements are fulfilled, particularly the requirements of Lake Sevan Committee on the enforcement of RA Law “On Lake Sevan”, Article 10 (ban on processing activities in the basin of Lake Sevan).
Inga Zarafyan, EcoLur: How RA Law “On Lake Sevan” can be secured, if there is a plant?
Karine Movsisyan: We consider only mine development project, and not the plant.
Inga Zarafyan: The project is connected with the plant. The previous project (2008) presented ore composition. But here the ore composition differs, it contains some metals, which are classified under first-class hazard. That’s why the Lake Sevan Committee of NAS RA gave its positive opinion at that time. Everything is not so definite and smooth, as you present it here. It was Sergey Grigoryan, a geologist hired by the company, who said that ore composition is similar with the sand composition, i.e. a stakeholder. Rafayel Hovhannisyan didn’t look into the composition. Bu the way, at first the committee issued a negative opinion, which was shared by the public. The discussions were held at the Aarhus Center.
Shahen Khachatryan: The crushing plant screens the ore, as there are certain standards for the cement, the rest is barren rock, dunite or magnesium-silicate.
Inga Zarafyan: What else the ore contains, besides gold and platinum?
Shahen Khachatryan: Almost all ores, which are typical to the south-west area of Lake Sevan, it contains nickel, cobalt, vanadium and chrome. You can say it’s inherent feature. If these ores were not present, the ores will turn into granite. We don’t aim to extract these metals; they are present in the form of some compounds in chromites. We remove chromite and they are removed together with it. Certainly these fractions cost something. During these years of operation we received 180 tons of concentrate containing these metals.
Karine Movsisyan: Metal extraction is not planned, only crushing and screening. No chemicals are used and all this takes place in a closed cycle.
Levon Galstyan, “Trchkan” initiative: When did the crushed pass expertise?
Karine Movsisyan: In 2008.
Levon Galstyan: The law doesn’t permit to issue a positive opinion to this project without the plant project, as it’s impossible to imagine what will happen to the raw materials next. The law says that everything should be assessed, how it will impact on the environment. But the project doesn’t say anything about this. The composition of the ores has been amended, i. e. the plant use one raw material, and now it has changed. Then, RA Law on Lake Sevan prohibits any processing in the drainage area. We don’t know what will happen to the raw materials at the plant and what Lake Sevan Committee will say in this regard.
Karine Movsisyan: The committee has already said it doesn’t turn down the project, if its requirements are met. This all is one chain, i.e. there won’t be new processes at the plant. The mines are the same, even mining output has been reduced, i.e. there are no changes in the technological process.
Levon Galstyan: Where does the project say it? Nowhere. The project says that the ore is extracted and transported to the plant, it doesn’t say anything about the processes at the plant.
Karine Movsisyan: This is an individual project, which was approved (in 2008). What do you want to say? If the production gets expanded, the plant project should be once again reviewed?
Levon Galstyan: Here there not a single word about expansion, here chromites will be extracted.
Karine Movsisyan: Nothing like that.
Levon Galstyan: How did you get it? The project doesn’t say anything about it.
Inga Zarafyan: The expertise has minimum requirements such as impact on landscapes, health and biodiversity. The project doesn’t say anything about it. Both you and we know all this takes place next to Sevan, in its economic zone, but we can’t see how the requirements of RA Law on Lake Sevan are followed.
Levon Galstyan: Here the environmental impact assessment is completely missing. There are no initial data about background significances, water, how the monitoring will be conducted if there is nothing to compare with. They write high water occurs, but this water flows to Lake Sevan. What kind of impact the mines will have on high water, nothing is noted about this. There will be serious changes in the landscape, again this part is missing. The project doesn’t say anything about it. The project says there is no vegetation, but it’s impossible, as there is vegetation, just it was not presented. Next to it Sevan National Park, how this project will impact on Sevan National Park? Again nothing. Nothing is mentioned about the impact of dust on people’s health, for example, employees’ health. Mines are serious source of dust polluted with heavy metals.
Karine Movsisyan: We work with reserves very much and this is the top they can provide.
Inga Zarafyan: If they can’t, this project should be turned down.
February 26, 2013 at 16:19