

Mari Chakryan, www.aliqmedia.am
Considering that the development of solar energy is one of the priorities set by the Government, "EcoLur" Informational NGO has decided to monitor the construction and operation of industrial solar PV plants in particular.
"Licenses are quickly issued, environmental impact assessment (EIA) reports are issued a positive conclusion, regardless of risks. Public participation in the project discussion process in communities is not properly ensured. People are not aware of their benefits and harms," NGO President Inga Zarafyan says.
Plants with a capacity of up to 5 MW do not undergo EIA in particular, because the legislative regulations of the sector do not clearly define the issues of EIA of solar plant projects.
Under "Environmental Impact Assessment and Expertise" Law, the activities of solar power plants occupying an area of 40 hectares and more are subject to EIA under "C" category procedure, while the above-mentioned plants occupy a smaller area. "EcoLur" experts draw attention to this problem, because the issues of developing actions aimed at preventing the possible environmental impact of the operation of such solar plants are not clear.
Law on "Environmental Impact and Expertise" has been amended to provide regulations for this sector as well, but it is still under discussion. And before that, solar plants have had a "green light".
"It is necessary to have a normative base to manage risks. Because of not having this normative base or its loopholes, there is a possibility of exploitation", Mrs. Zarafyan says.
Since "Masrik 1" is being built with the support of the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank and the EU, the EcoLur team has studied in more details to what extent it is compatible with the social and environmental policies adopted by the latter. They compare what benefits the community and the economy of the country should have, because the Government grants great advantages to such large projects.
According to Inga Zarafyan, one of the problems is that 14 farmers were forced to sell their land plots, thus losing their source of income. Communal lands were also provided, including agricultural lands for the construction of the station.
Meetings with residents and heads of Vardenis community and Mets Masrik settlement were held, obligations and social support issues within the framework of the construction project of "Masrik-1" solar station were discussed. It was found out they don't know what the benefits are. "We will understand when jobs are created," the locals said.
As the webpage of "Ameriabank" informs, the mediator of the financing transaction for the construction of the largest industrial-scale solar plant in Armenia: "Within the framework of the project, an electricity purchase agreement was signed with the "Armenia Electric Networks" company, under which the produced electricity will be supplied to the community, bringing a significant benefit to the latter."
Community Head Aharon Khachatryan expressed his readiness to participate in the monitoring activities, he promised "EcoLur" team to be persisent so that everything is in accordance with the laws, whereas the employees of the community hall said that they will be consistent, so that the company fully implements the environmental and social measures it has envisaged.
"The EIA says that the station has the effect of a permanent magnetic and electric field, but there is no assessment of what effect is good or adverse, what consequences it can have on human health. The Ministry of Health did not attach importance to this circumstance," Inga Zarafyan said.
There is also a problem in terms of electronic waste management, it is not clear who will cover the costs of their management and removal. In general, they are imposed on the operating company, but in the case of "Masrik-1" there is no such condition.
The experts of the monitoring organization are convinced that the compensation provided does not meet the requirements of the investing financiers. They believe that there are various risks. At first glance, it is visible that the condition of sustainable use of agricultural land has not been met. They are currently analyzing the collected information and will publish their conclusion soon.



September 06, 2022 at 15:48