EcoLur
Soon the presentation of “SHPPs under Umbrella of International Financial Institutions” report by EcoLur will be held, which presents the main problems connected with the SHHP activities, such as environmental flow and cumulative effects arising from the construction of a vast number of SHPPs on one river, loss of biodiversity, including in specially protected areas, forest felling and landslides. The residents don’t benefit from SHPPs in any way, just the opposite, their environment and life quality deteriorate. The land owners, on whose land areas SHPPs are constructed, are not protected by law.
SHPPs in Armenia turned into a field of high incomes, where the interests of top officials are focused on. Through SHHPs energy producers are provided guarantees ensuring high prices of electricity purchase and the absence of any competition. The Environmental Expertise violates the environmental legislation in the most cases of issuing an opinion to SHPP projects. Small hydropower has a number of privileges for the IFIs operating in this field (the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, European Investment Bank, KfW German Development Bank, International Finance Corporation - IFC), first of all, it’s worldwide ecological umbrella in the form of the Kyoto Protocol and Clean Development Mechanisms (CDM).
The problems presented in this report are shown on the certain cases of SHHPs, where EcoLur carried out informational monitoring within 2012-2013.
September 27, 2013 at 12:00