

On November 18, 2024, a public discussion was held in Kapan regarding "Artsvanik Tailing Dump Expansion Project" planned by Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine (ZCMC). The meeting covered issues related to the expansion of Artsvanik Tailing Dump, problems concerning the operations of the combine, solutions, proposals, and the social and health programs implemented by ZCMC.
According to the official report on the public hearings published on Kapan Municipality’s website, the expansion project was presented by Asya Ghazaryan, Deputy Director for Sustainable Development at ZCMC. She mentioned the necessity of expanding Artsvanik Tailing Dump, as ZCMC expanded its production capacity in 2016 to reach up to 22 million tons per year. The existing Tailing Dump can serve the company for another 10 years based on its designed capacity.
Arman Vardanyan, ZCMC's Technical Director, explained, "It will be necessary to raise the dam's level to 985 meters. Currently, it is at 936 meters, so we need to increase it by about 50 meters. The dump is currently filled with approximately 300 million cubic meters."
Armenak Sahakyan, Head of ZCMC’s Water Resources and Hydraulic Structures Management Department, added, "The designed capacity of the Tailing Dump is 325 million cubic meters. We plan to add another 238 million cubic meters to continue depositing tailings within the permit until 2041. A 6-kilometer long reinforced concrete canal will be constructed to divert the Artsvanik River, covering all basins from the river's course to the village of Artsvanik."
Residents' Reactions: Vahagn Grigoryan, a resident of Chapni village, stated, "In the last three years, walnut trees in Chapni village have been drying up, fig trees dried up about five years ago, and the productivity of beehives has decreased significantly. As a Chapni resident, I am opposed to the expansion of the Tailing Dump. A group of us in Chapni disagree with the expansion."
Spartak Harutyunyan, Head of "Artsvanik’s Future" public organization and a member of the Kapan consolidated community council, stated, "There are serious environmental, health, cultural, and social issues in Artsvanik village. We are opposed. What will the villagers do? Create an alternative for them, so they can engage in something else."
In response, Armen Stepanyan, ZCMC's Director of Sustainable Development, stated, "Most of these lands have already been formalized by the Zangezur Combine. The lands that have been formalized and have not yet been exploited are still used by the villagers."
Seismic Safety Concerns: Varduhi Ohanyan, President of "Baghaberd Charity" NGO, raised concerns: "If a 9-point earthquake occurs, Artsvanik Tailing Dump will destroy the entire Syunik region."
Regarding the tailings pipeline, Ohanyan pointed out, "The tailings from the enrichment factory are transported to the Tailing Dump along a 34.5-kilometer fast-flowing route, which passes mainly along the left bank of the Voghji River. This area is rugged with deep gorges and valleys. How do you assess that responsible mining activities can be conducted without polluting the transboundary Voghji River?"
Asya Ghazaryan, Deputy Director for Sustainable Development at ZCMC, responded, "Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine operates the main tailings pipeline, which has a diameter of 1020 mm and two backup pipelines, each with a diameter of 720 mm. At each culvert crossing, we have planned anti-flood and reserve dumps that have undergone an environmental impact assessment."
Armen Stepanyan, ZCMC's Director of Sustainable Development, continued, "As for air pollution, we are planning dust management systems for next year's projects. These will also be implemented around the Tailing Dump. Regarding water quality, our monitoring shows that by 2023, 16 parameters exceeded the allowable thresholds set by the Armenian government. By 2024, 18 parameters have exceeded the limits."
Health Issues: Armen Stepanyan, ZCMC's Director of Sustainable Development, mentioned, "In Qajaran community, 1647 employees have registered, and, there are 985 in Kapan community."
Spartak Harutyunyan, Head of "Artsvanik's Future," asked, "Has any study been conducted regarding the proximity of the Tailing Dump to the population or the impact on agricultural activities?" He stated they had received a negative answer.
Armen Stepanyan responded, "An expanded study is being conducted, which will address both the impact on health and other related questions."
Nikolay Arustamyan, a resident of Syunik, inquired, "Do these studies include information about the rate of oncological diseases?"
Armen Stepanyan responded, "The overall statistics are as follows: most of our employees (85-90%) come from nearby communities around the open-pit mine and Tailing Dump, including Kapan consolidated community. As of December 31, 2023, we had approximately 4666 employees. Their family members are also insured. The total number of people with health insurance is approximately 16,000. As for oncological cases, there were 114 cases in 2022, 110 in 2023, and 93 by October 2024."
Social Responsibility: Armen Stepanyan presented the social investments and expenses made by ZCMC in 2023. "Overall, the social support, including aid to individuals, communities, infrastructure, and construction projects, amounted to approximately 1.3 billion AMD, half of which covers compensation payments to villages adjacent to the Tailing Dump. In Syunik province, approximately 250 million AMD was spent. The expenditure for subvention programs was 378 million AMD. The educational expenses amounted to 97 million AMD, and other regions received about 200 million AMD. Health services cost 165 million AMD, sports funding was 540 million AMD, mostly allocated to 'Syunik' football club. Cultural activities were supported with 23.5-24 million AMD. Since August 2023, regular flights have been operating between Yerevan and Kapan, and approximately 730 million AMD was spent on investments and charity. Overall, more than 3 billion AMD was spent in Kapan consolidated community," he stated.
Kapan Mayor Gevorg Parsyan highlighted, "A drinking water system project worth around 420 million AMD is underway in Artsvanik. About 340 million AMD is being spent on royalty-based projects. Road construction work is also being done through subvention programs, with ZCMC contributing. Renovation work is ongoing for the kindergarten yard as well. In total, around 600 million AMD is being spent on projects in Artsvanik."
Nikolay Arustamyan from Syunik raised the issue, "Why are the residents of Syunik not included in this program, especially considering that Syunik is more vulnerable from a safety perspective?"
Armen Stepanyan resdumped, "Regarding social support, let me reaffirm the position of the new leadership of ZCMC, which is aligned with the community. There will be no changes to the existing program. We are increasing the 40,000 AMD support for newborns in existing communities. However, we have also agreed to provide other forms of social assistance. Specifically, in Syunik, we have begun installing solar power stations this year."
Kapan Mayor Gevorg Parsyan mentioned, "We have agreements with ZCMC to implement projects not only in Syunik but also in the surrounding areas of Sznak and Ditsmari villages. "The municipality also envisions long-term projects that could be realized with the support of the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine. For example, the renovation of the Vazgen Sargsyan Park, the adjacent areas of the Garegin Nzhdeh Memorial Complex, and the improvement of Kapan Sports Complex, as well as the construction of a cable car to the Khustup mountain," he said.
January 10, 2025 at 18:41