ACP DIRECTOR: EXPLOITATION OF TEGHUT COPPER AND MOLYBDENUM MINE WILL NOT HAVE NEGATIVE IMPACT ON ENVIRONMENTAL ECOSYSTEM
Noyan Tapan
Feb 20 2007
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 20, NOYAN TAPAN. The exploitation of the Teghut
copper and molybdenum mine will not have a negative impact on the
environmental ecosystem. Gagik Arzumanian, Director of Armenian
Copper Program (ACP) CJSC that received the concessional right of
the mine’s exploitation for 25 years, stated this at the February 16
discussion. The event followed a discussion held on February 9, during
which Chairman of the Union of Greens of Armenia Hakob Sanasarian
expressed concern about environmental consequences of the project’s
implementation. H. Sanasarian was also present at the February 16
discussion. G. Arzumanian said that the Armenian government should
allow exploitation of the mine. He explained that the water balance
of the Teghut copper and molybdenum mine (the Shnogh River) will
not be violated because the necessary water will be taken from the
Debet River and used in a "closed cycle". Besides, he ruled out the
possibility of leakage of underground waters from the tailing dump as
ACP envisaged all measures to prevent this danger. The ACP director
considered as unreasonable the concern that the mine’s exploitation
will cause damage to surrounding forests because 357.16 ha of forest
(57.7 thousand cubic meters of wood) will be cut during 25 years of
the project’s implementation.
He cited information published in the Armenian press, according
to which about 1 million cubic meters of wood on the total area of
about 8 thousand ha is cut in Armenia every year, 500 thousand cubic
meters of wood is cut annually in Lori marz. "Let’s use our energy
to solve more important problems. Why make so much fuss over this
issue?," he said. H. Sanasarian expressed his discontent that no
representatives of the RA ministry of nature protection attended the
discussion. "This ministry does not fulfil its obligations envisaged
by law," he noted, adding that the ministry’s examination of the
project was imperfect. H. Sanasarian considered as contradicting the
Armenian legislation the fact that the project of mine’s exploitation
was developed not for the whole period of 25 years but only for 8
years. According to G. Arzumanian, the mine should be exploited on an
area of 200 ha but ACP managed to purchase only 100 ha from the current
owners. He noted that if the company fails to purchase the remaining
area, "the state will consider it as a supreme public right and require
its mandatory alienation." In response to NT correspondent’s question,
G. Arzumanian said that ACP envisages to implement a number of social
program in the local communities (construction of residential and
recreational zones, water supply and sewerage systems, as well as
staff training), some of which have already been launched. In his
words, although the mine’s exploitation has not started, "revenues
of Shogh and Teghut communities have increased tenfold."