Tuesday, October 23 2018 10:39

ArmInfo. Energy Invest Holding invests about $ 300 million in the energy sector of Armenia. Minister of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources Garegin  Baghramyan was informed of this during yesterday evening meeting with  representatives of Energy Invest Holding, which is implementing the  project.

According to the press service of the Ministry of Energy  Infrastructures and Natural Resources of Armenia, in particular, the  matter concerns construction program of the Shnogh hydroelectric  station. The project is implemented by the Swiss company "POYRY", the  American "THE ROBBINS", and the Austrian company ILF, which was  selected as a consultant on the basis of an international competition  held by a group of the World Bank - the International Finance  Corporation. It will also exercise technical control over the quality  of work. At the first stage, which will end on October 31 of this  year, the route of laying the water tunnel and the installed capacity  of the hydroelectric power station will be determined.

At the next stages, the soil-mechanical features of the area will be  studied, environmental and social impacts will be assessed,  environmental risks will be identified and a detailed roadmap for  their recovery will be compiled. Then the project will be subject to  environmental expertise, public hearings will be held with the  participation of beneficiary communities and environmental public  organizations.

Highlighting the importance of the project from the point of view of  ensuring energy security, Garegin Baghramyan stressed that the  construction permit will be given only after obtaining environmental  expertise and the consent of the beneficiary communities. In the  course of work, about 1,200 highly paid jobs will be opened, the  hydropower station will provide 7% of the total electricity produced  in the country.  Garegin Baghramyan was also presented with projects  to build a secondary specialized educational institution for training  personnel for the energy sector and a program for the modernization  of small hydropower plants.  The specified educational institution  will provide an opportunity to repurpose hundreds of specialists, and  the energy system will be replenished with qualified personnel. $ 6  million invested in the construction of the education facility.   During the meeting, the modernization program of small hydropower  plants was also discussed. The program must comply with modern  environmental requirements. The goal of the project is to more  efficiently use water resources, improve the condition of rivers, and  reduce the impact of small hydropower plants on the environment. The  cost of this five-year program will be $ 120 million. As a result of  the project implementation, 20-25 small hydropower plants will be  upgraded.  To note, the construction project of the Shnogh HPP was  developed in Soviet times and provided for the construction of a  hydropower plant with a capacity of 76 MW. ArmInfo has previously  reported that the Russian group of companies Tashir was interested in  building the Shnogh hydroelectric station. The state project,  developed back in 1970, provided for the construction of a  hydroelectric power station in the northern part of the Debed River  (in the Lori region of Armenia). This year, the Tashir group of  companies revised the project plan, as a result of which a new  improved version was developed taking into account modern  technological solutions. So, in the near future it will be possible  to build a new, advanced hydroelectric power station with a capacity  of 124 MW instead of the previously planned 76 MW with a capacity of  up to 460 million kW / h of electricity. Investment in the project  over four years will be about $ 200 million