The small-scale hydropower plants (HPPs) in Armenia do not prove their worth, Head of WWF-Armenia Karen Manvelyan has told ArmInfo.
"The calculations are wrong. Even those who invest in the small-scale HPPs realize that they cannot obtain the designed electric power output," says Manvelyan. The outcome of such a situation is desperate. "To recover the investments, they route all the water into the pipes without leaving an environmental flow," he says.
The expert thinks the small-scale HPPs in Armenia do not prove their worth due to the climate changes. "It is better to invest in other things, for instance, in solar energy," says Manvelyan.
Environmentalists have repeatedly pointed out that the small-scale HPPs in Armenia seriously damage the ecosystem. Another problem is that several small HPPs are operating on one and the same river.
Manvelyan notes that at present a small-scale HPP is being built on the river Kajaran. Experts think a wrong place has been chosen for the future HPP. There is a picturesque gorge near the river. In addition, the river Kajaran is of much significance to the protected areas in southern Armenia. For instance, the river Kajaran merges with the river Vokhchi.