Armenia’s environment ministry today announced that a bitumen and petroleum lubricant plant built by Armoil CJSC in the Kotayk town of Yeghvard two years ago doesn’t meet its safety norms.

The ministry, after evaluating the company’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), found that the plant is 140 meters from the nearest residential house, seventy-four meters from the road, and fifty meters from the local parks.

These distances are far below the proscribed the 1,000-meter sanitary protection zone for bitumen production, 300 meters for bitumen installations, and 500 meters for crude oil, bitumen, fuel oil and other viscous petroleum products.

Armoil is owned by Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukyan and Iranian-Armenian businessmen.

Armoil, founded in 2013, imports and sells petroleum products, petroleum raw materials, engine oils,  diesel fuel, bitumen, etc.  

The ministry also noted that the plant’s estimated amount of sulfur dioxide emissions was problematic.