“Ayg-1” project EIA public hearings were held in the impacted communities

“Ayg-1”, a joint project of the Armenia National Interests Fund (ANIF) and the Abu Dhabi based “Masdar”, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) public hearings were held in the communities of Katnaghbyur, Ashnak, Dashtadem and Talin of Aragatsotn region. These were the third public hearings with one more to come to finalize the round of hearings.

Mikael Tevosyan, the representative of “EA Energy Advisory” company that is coordinating the EIA works, presented the works carried out so far to the residents of the communities. The organization involved local and international experts, with whom archaeological and field studies on  biodiversity and other environmental aspects were carried out, followed by field work necessary for assessing the social impact.

According to M. Tevosyan, no species of plants and animals in need of special protection, endangered, vulnerable, on the verge of extinction and listed in the Red Book of the Republic of Armenia or the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) were found in the area. There are also no specially protected areas here, and the construction of a solar power plant will not have tangible impact on the biodiversity.

The presentation of the EIA was followed by a question and answer session during which the residents raised their concerns. The residents of four settlements were most interested in the implementation of social support programs. It was reported that 320 million drams were provided as a donation by the Masdar company for the social support programs of Talin and Dashtadem communities. And for the villages of Katnaghbyur and Ashnak, small support programs (including various training courses) are planned.

The Government Support Agreement for the “Ayg-1” project with the capacity of 200 MW, was signed between the Government of Armenia and Masdar company on November 26, 2021. The total investment cost of the project is USD 174 million, and the tariff for the energy produced is USD 0.0290 per kilowatt hour (kWh). 85 percent share of “Masdar Armenia” joint venture belongs to Masdar, while 15 percent is owned by ANIF.

The operations are planned to be starting in 2025.