ARMENIA: YEREVAN SOLID WASTE PROJECT – ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL DUE DILIGENCE
TendersInfo
May 20, 2014 Tuesday
Assignment Description: In 2011 the European Bank for Reconstruction
and Development ( EBRD or the Bank ), at the request of Yerevan
Municipality, commissioned a technical feasibility study to evaluate
the feasibility of building a sanitary landfill to serve Yerevan
(the Project or the Investment Project ). The recommendation of the
study was to build a landfill at Nubarashen, adjacent to the existing
dumpsite. The study further made recommendations regarding financial,
institutional and technical aspects of such a project.
The Government of Armenia, through the Ministry of Urban Development,
has recently completed a review of its national solid waste strategy,
supported by the Asian Development Bank. The national strategy
envisages five regional sanitary landfills to serve the country,
including one for Yerevan. Following the completion of the national
solid waste strategy and the confirmation that this project is aligned
with this strategy, Yerevan Municipality and the Bank now intends to
proceed with Project preparation.
Solid waste management in Armenia remains underdeveloped, with varying
quality of waste collection services and no sanitary landfills
currently in operation. The Republic of Armenia is a landlocked
country with a population of 3.1 million. The capital city Yerevan
has a population of 1.1 million and is currently disposing most of its
municipal solid waste at a dumpsite in Nubarashen 11 km south-east of
the city, as well as at several smaller dumpsites. Yerevan Municipality
have just concluded tendering for solid waste collection services,
which will be managed by two private operators in service areas
divided as Yerevan East and Yerevan West. Solid waste services are
financed through a municipal fee of AMD 200 per person per month as
well as via subsidies from the municipal budget. Current gate fees at
the Nubarashen dumpsite are AMD 60 per m3 of waste (this is envisaged
to be changed to billing per metric ton under the proposed project).
Under the proposed Project the new sanitary landfill would be designed,
built and operated by a private operator during a fixed term, but the
landfill would be financed and owned by the municipality to ensure
municipal ownership of this strategic asset and also to allow lower
financing costs through a sovereign loan. Operation and continuous
expansion of landfill cells will be financed through gate fees paid
by the solid waste collection operators, and these gate fees will in
turn be passed on to the population via the solid waste collection
fees. Detailed technical and financial information about the proposed
Project is available in the technical feasibility study, which will
be made available to the consultant before the start of the assignment.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
