ALAVERDI’S NEW SMOKESTACK – A $1 MILLION BOONDOGGLE?
Larisa Paremuzyan

HETQ
23:30, September 27, 2011

On September 22, Vallex Group Chairman Valery Mezhlumyan announced that
the new smokestack at the Alaverdi copper smelter, run by subsidiary
Armenian Copper Programme, would begin operating.

Presently, both the old and new smokestacks are spewing out exhausts.

The new smokestack, with improved filters, spews out less of the
toxic exhausts.

Local residents say that the company has stepped up production at the
smelter during the past month and that this has increased exhausts
from the production facility~Rs burners as well.

Construction of the new smokestack began in 2010 by the firm Titanyan
Brothers Ltd. It cost $1 million to build.

The plan was to construct it at a higher elevation so that fumes
would be removed from burying townspeople below.

Samvel Bezhanyan, a crew chief with Titanyan Brothers, now says the
new smokestack isn~Rt doing the job it was supposed to.

~SA certain temperature must be maintained for the smoke to be sucked
up and out. Right now we are waiting for the temperature to rise to
the required levels,~T Bezhanyan said.

There is now talk of widening the smokestack and adding another 20
meters to its height.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress