That's Why KfW Didn't Finance "Ayrum" SHHP

EcoLur

International financial institutions are funding the field of SHPPs under the pretext of developing ‘green’ energy taking into consideration not the social and environmental standards, but 100% guarantees of loan repayment.

 “Ayrum” SHHP formed a part of Dsorages SHHP, then in 1997 it was separated and received the status of a SHPP which is operated by “Salenergo” LLC. Under CEO Levon Obosyan, SHPP is not funded, “We have applied to German KfW and they gave some hop to us if we carry our certain reconstruction, then we will be able to get a loan from them. We took a loan from the commercial bank at high percents for a short period of time with the purpose of its further repayment with KfW loan. But we didn’t manage to get a loan and now we are on our own,” Levon Obosyan said.  The German experts turned out to be afraid of the Debed River, from where the SHPP takes water. “We had heavy rains, and the river got muddy, and the Germans were worried that the equipment would be broken and the SHPP wouldn’t be able to ensure the productivity, and consequently 100% repayment of the loan,” he said. Levon Obosyan also thinks that the water is polluted with wastes of Alaverdi Combine, “We even had cases, when the mechanisms just broke down in one year.”

“Ayrum” SHHP is constructed on the canal of the Debed River on the borders of Lori and Tavush regions. The operation of the SHPP with capacity of 3 MW and productivity of 1.5 million KW electricity takes place under the conditions of high pollution of water with chemical wastes, sewage and garbage. “Our main problem is mud. Spitak, Vanadzor, Alaverdi and up to Tavush…How many people and how many objects can you find on this way? We placed a mechanical barrier and every day we collect 2-3 lorries of plastic bottles and bags,” the director said. Under the director, the water pollution is the very reason for not getting the funding.

The Debed is a transboundary river with a length of 178 km. The list of the licenses issued by the Public Services Regulatory Committee as of 1 October 2013 says that the derivation length of “Ayrum” SHPP makes up 33*4m (and 132m - canal) in correlation with the length of the derivation system and the river, 0.0868421%, and the river doesn’t under hazardous load from the SHPP. 

February 01, 2014 at 11:32