Big Officials, Mini Hydro-Plants

Davit Ohanyan, son of General-at-Large Hovik Ohanyan (appointed to the special post in 2013), wants to increase the wattage capacity of a hydro power he’s built in Armenia’s Vayots Dzor Province.

The Ministry of Nature Protection says that a public hearing will be held on April 3 in the community of Hermon regarding the possible environmental impact that will result from modifications to the Naneh mini hydro-plant construction project.  (Hermon is a small village of 250 residents some 16 kilometers from Yeghegnadzor)

The company Arates Energy now wants to raise the plant’s power by 1,250 kilowatts via the placement of additional aggregate material.

Last summer, the Public Services Regulatory Commission granted Arates Energy a license to produce electricity. With permission in hand, the company built a 2,130 kilowatt mini hydro-plant on the Aysas tributary of the Karakaya River in Hermon.

Arates Energy was registered in 2007 at General Ohanyan’s home address in the town of Yeghegnadzor. It’s the same residential address for his son Davit. The general owns 100% of the company’s shares and serves as its director.

Aysas flows for 12 kilometers and 2.7 will be diverted through pipes to the hydro-plant.

Another hydro-plant has already been built on the same river. Elegis Ltd, owned by Bishop Abraham Mkrtchyan, Primate of the Vayots Dzor Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, operates the Hermon hydro-plant. This plant diverts 3.2 kilometers of the river.

If we add the lengths of the two diversionary tracts, exactly one half of the Aysas flows through pipes.