Yeghvard refinery is ordered to live long: The regulator suspended construction

ArmInfo. The nature protection and  inspection body on the subsoil on July 16 decided to stop the  construction of a small oil refinery in the city of Yeghvard, Kotayk  region.

According to official information, within the administrative  proceedings launched on July 10 in the inspection body, it was found  out that Armoil CJSC had not carried out an environmental impact  assessment in accordance with the RA Law on Examination and  Assessment of Impact before the construction of an oil refinery in  the Nati district of Yeghvard, Kotayk region on the environment "with  respect to the planned construction.

On the basis of the above, the head of the Nature Conservation and  Inspection Body on the Subsoil, Artur Grigoryan, decided on July 16  to stop the construction of the oil refinery before receiving a  positive response based on the documents on the relevant expertise  and environmental impact assessment.

It should be noted that in March 2016, in an interview with ArmInfo,  the general director of Armoil (the official representative of the  Lubreks brand in Armenia and the CIS countries and importing engine  oils from the UAE) Alfred Abadi noted that the main goal of the  company is the production of petroleum products with labeling "Made  in Armenia".

The investment package was supposed to be initially implemented in  three stages, the total volume of investments - $ 35 million. The  first stage of the project involves the construction of an oil  refinery in Yeghvard. According to the business plan, the production  capacity of the enterprise for the first time will amount to 15  thousand tons of engine oil and 6 thousand tons of tar per year. In  the future, the plant will also have the opportunity to process used  engine oil and use it as raw materials, which in turn will help  maintain the cleanliness of the environment and ecology. The company  intends only to sell on the domestic market to produce 100 million  drams. The plant, whose area is 5 thousand square meters. m. with  further expansion to 15 thousand square meters, will also have  underground and land bases, which are necessary for storing 4  thousand tons of diesel fuel, 2 tons bitumen, and 2-3 thousand tons  of raw materials for the production of various oils, as well as 20  thousand tons of finished products. To implement the first stage of  the program (it was planned to be completed in August 2016), about $  15 million will be invested. The whole program was planned to be  completed within three years.