"Masrik-1" solar power plant, with a capacity of 55 MW, will soon be launched as the largest solar plant in Armenia to date. The construction project began in 2018 but faced years of delays due to the Armenian-Azerbaijani military conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The plant was built in Gegharkunik Region within Vardenis community, in Mets Masrik Village, located in the central part of the Masrik plain. "Masrik-1" project is being implemented by Fotowatio Renewable Ventures B.V. (FRV) in collaboration with the contractor China Armenia Engineering. The construction work is being carried out by the company Shtigen.
“We have completed about 90% of the plant. We started work in November and carried out the entire construction process within approximately eight months. We are already in the final stages, testing certain equipment, conducting handover procedures, and preparing the relevant documentation,” Gagik Babayan, Chief Engineer of Shtigen, said two months ago.
Gagik Babayan
Chen Ming, the Charge d'Affaires of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of Armenia, recently announced to reporters at the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia that "Masrik-1" solar plant will soon be operational. “We are always ready to closely cooperate with Armenia in the energy sector. Chinese solar plants will also become part of Armenia’s energy landscape,” Chen Ming outlined.
Chen Ming
According to FRV, the operation of the plant will prevent over 54,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. It is estimated that the plant will produce 150,000 MWh of electricity annually, supplying 21,400 households. The plant is expected to be operational by 2025.
Karen Mkrtchyan, First Deputy Head of Vardenis Community, mentioned in his interview with EcoLur that the community has socio-economic expectations from "Masrik-1" project. “Once the construction work is completed, a meeting will be held with the community head to address this matter. The community head has instructed us to ensure all processes comply with construction norms and that all obligations are fulfilled,” Karen Mkrtchyan outlined.
Karen Mkrtchyan
Ruben Barseghyan, Deputy Principal for Financial and Economic Affairs at Mets Masrik Secondary School, spoke about the positive and negative aspects of the plant’s construction: “The construction of the plant is, of course, beneficial. It will reduce our country’s energy dependence on other countries and create jobs for the village. But regarding the pastures... More than 130 hectares of pastures are essentially no longer ours. The construction of solar plants is good, but the location chosen for the panels should be on land unsuitable for agriculture.”
Ruben Barseghyan
When asked whether the pastures used for the construction of the plant were overgrazed, Ruben Barseghyan responded: “Half a meter away from that area, people grow potatoes and sow crops. I believe the land there was fertile.”
Local residents are concerned about what will happen to the large number of solar panels when they are decommissioned.
According to the environmental impact assessment (EIA) document for "Masrik-1" project, 165,368 photovoltaic panels were planned for installation. However, according to Shtigen, 114,984 panels are being installed. It was not possible to ascertain from the company what will happen to this electronic waste once the panels are decommissioned.
Regarding these and other questions, EcoLur sent a letter to FRV requesting information on the following:
- How is the management of electronic waste planned to be implemented?
- How much space will be allocated for this waste, and to whom will this area belong?
- Will the affected Vardenis community have a role in the management of the solar station's electronic waste?
- What measures are planned to protect the panels from natural phenomena such as snowfalls, hail, storms, and earthquakes?
- How many hectares of land have been utilized for the station and its infrastructure?
- How much topsoil has been removed for the construction of the station, and how is this topsoil managed?
- What socio-economic programs are planned for the Vardenis community within the framework of social corporate responsibility, and how many jobs have been created during the construction and operational phases?
EcoLur has not yet received a response from the company.
The article was produced with the financial support of the Media Initiatives Center within the framework of "Expanding Production of Independent Content" grant project.
November 25, 2024 at 17:31