RA Environment Ministry proposes to include provisions for the development of biofuel production and use in the strategic plan for the development of the energy sector. The goal is to significantly reduce the volume of deforestation, mainly in rural areas, by replacing natural wood with biofuel, as well as to prevent or mitigate as much as possible the harmful impact on the environment, to create access to affordable energy resources, and to contribute to the reduction of the country's energy dependence.
In this regard, the draft of RA government's resolution "On making amendments to resolution of RA Government N 48-L of January 14, 2021 was circulated on the www.e-draft.am website for publishing drafts of legal acts.
According to integrated research conducted in 2017, firewood is used by around 70 percent of households as the main source of thermal energy in rural areas. Natural wood is not considered as a preferred source of biofuel considering the insufficient level of afforestation in the country.
According to the expert Roza Julhakyan, PhD in Chemical Sciences, the draft law lacks guarantees for the sustainable use of biomass caused by climate change and the measures necessary for it: establishment of more drought-resistant commercial plantations, introduction of more efficient irrigation systems, introduction of early warning systems about abnormal temperature fluctuations. Meanwhile, the draft law states that the development of the field of production and use of biofuels does not involve big risks.
April 28, 2023 at 13:25