Author: Emil Lazarian

 10:30,

YEREVAN, APRIL 12, ARMENPRESS. Both opposition blocs of the Armenian parliament announced that they are boycotting the parliament session and will instead travel to border towns of Armenia and to Artsakh.

Hayastan faction leader Seyran Ohanyan said that Armenia and Artsakh are facing the most serious challenges and cited the “red lines” which they had stated during their latest rally in Yerevan.

“The provisions stipulated in the Consitution of Armenia, our territorial integrity, sovereignty, are not for bargain, we find unacceptable any option of resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict that would make Artsakh part of Azerbaijan,” Ohanyan said.

Ohanyan accused the Pashinyan administration in being incapable of solving numerous foreign and domestic issues. He said the latest developments show that everything is proceeding by the “Azeri-Turkish agenda”.

“Based on this situation, the parliamentary opposition announces that it won’t participate in this week’s sessions and votes, we are going to Artsakh and to border provinces of Armenia,” Ohanyan said.

Secretary of Pativ Unem bloc Hayk Mamijanyan also announced that they won’t participate in the sessions. He said their lawmakers are also traveling to Artsakh.

Meanwhile, ruling Civil Contract bloc lawmaker Vagharshak Hakobyan accused the opposition MPs in “endangering the citizens of Artsakh and Armenia” by traveling to Artsakh.

“A narrative was voiced here, that they are traveling to Artsakh to follow the most important agenda and to protect the citizens of Artsakh. I’d like to argue the contrary, by traveling to Artsakh now they are endangering the citizens of the Republic of Artsakh and the citizens of the Republic of Armenia. Take this into consideration,” Hakobyan said.

 18:01,

YEREVAN, APRIL 12, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan introduced the newly appointed Minister Armen Pambukhchyan to the staff of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister wished success to Mr. Pambukhchyan in his important work and expressed hope that during his tenure the efficiency of the Ministry of Emergency Situations will increase.

“Usually, on similar occasions, we appoint a new minister, see off the old minister, thank him for the work done. You know that in this case we have a slightly different, unusual or even unprecedented situation. And I have to tell you honestly and sincerely that I am very sorry for such a development. Personally for me what happened is very painful in terms of both morality and politics. You know that after the 44-day war, I offered Mr. Piloyan the post of Minister of Emergency Situations, I entrusted that post, and we worked during this period in an atmosphere of mutual respect. But I think we must clearly state that finally the rule of law in the Republic of Armenia should not be just words, equality before the law should not be just words, after all, it’s the case now and was that before these events. I hope that we all understand this message very clearly and directly”, the Prime Minister said.

According to Nikol Pashinyan, it is clear that nowhere in the Republic of Armenia there is a very high level of welfare. “Moreover, we are a country that has problems with poverty, social problems, and serious security challenges in general. We must understand that each of us is required to make great efforts, and yes, to go through great deprivations in order to be able to solve the challenges facing our country, to solve the problems in the public administration system, to increase its efficiency, and finally make our service to the people more and more effective. I think this should be today’s main message.

Mr. Pambukhchyan, I wish good luck to you and the entire staff of the Ministry. And I want to say that talking about the rule of law, let’s not forget about the presumption of innocence, because according to the legislation of the Republic of Armenia, any person is innocent until his guilt is confirmed by a verdict that has entered into force. Let’s be guided by this presumption,” Nikol Pashinyan said.

Armen Pambukhchyan thanked the Prime Minister for the great confidence and assured that he will spare no effort and energy to justify the expectations of the PM and the society. “I am not new to this ministry, I am fully aware of all the tasks and priorities. I would like to note that during my tenure I will be guided by the agenda and values adopted by the Government and the political team,” the newly appointed Minister of Emergency Situations said.

 12:30,

YEREVAN, APRIL 12, ARMENPRESS. During today’s session in the Parliament, Deputy Minister of Economy of Armenia Rafayel Gevorgyan presented the draft on ratifying the 2020 financial cooperation agreement between the Armenian and German governments.

Gevorgyan said that Armenia will be provided with 116 million 400 thousand Euro financial aid.

“This assistance consists of two main parts. 70 million Euros will be provided for the development of small and medium enterprises, and 40 million to development loans in renewable energy sector. The mechanism through which that assistance will be provided is the country’s banking system. There is an Armenian-German fund through which the sums will be distributed to Armenia’s banking system”, the deputy minister said.

He informed that it is also planned to provide 3.4 million Euro financial aid to Armenia for implementation of biodiversity and sustainable development programs and to provide 3.4 million Euro financial aid for the necessary measures aimed at the implementation and technical support of the program.

 13:43,

YEREVAN, APRIL 12, ARMENPRESS. Armenia’s Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan and his deputy Narek Teryan are in Russia since April 10 on a three-day visit. During the visit the Armenian delegation was hosted by Russia’s Deputy Minister of Economic Development Dmitry Volvach, the Armenian ministry said in a news release.

Thanking for the welcome, Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan said Armenia is interested in deepening and expanding the cooperation with Russia in industry, trade and mutual investments, taking into account the targeted and successful work aimed at improving the bilateral business environment.

“Depending on the location and targeted direction, foreign investors could register a company and conduct an effective activity in Armenia in the fields of energy, light and heavy industry, pharmaceutics, telecommunication, jewelry or diamond production, logistics and transport, as well as IT”, the minister said.

The Russian deputy minister of economic development said the trade turnover between Armenia and Russia in 2021 increased by almost 13% and has reached 2,6 billion dollars, whereas the mutual trade only in January 2022 has increased by 50% compared to the same period of the previous year.  

“These are high figures, and today, in new conditions, we continue the mutual cooperation for keeping our partnership rates. There is a big potential for that. We don’t want to stop on the existing achievements and are interested in searching for new joint projects and developing the investment potential”, Dmitry Volvach said.

He also said that there are more than 40 large Russian companies operating in Armenia. Russia has invested around 2 billion dollars in the real sector of Armenia’s economy.

For the development of commercial partnership, the Russian side made effective proposals for the development of transport, energy, social infrastructure, implementation of prospective investment programs in Armenia.

The inter-regional cooperation was also touched upon during the meeting. Today Armenia maintains relations with more than 70 regions of Russia. Moreover, it is planned to organize works to select inter-regional cooperation projects and assist their implementation.

The activities being implemented within the Eurasian Economic Union were also discussed. At the moment the focus is on the macro-economic situation and the sustainable development of the economies of the Union’s member states.

 19:08,

YEREVAN, 11 APRIL, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan on April 11 received Ambassador of India to Armenia Kishan Dan Dewal.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the President of Armenia, at the beginning of the meeting Ambassador Kishan Dan Dewal presented the President with the book of the Minister of External Affairs of India Subrahmanyan Jaishankar “The India Way: Strategies for and Uncertain World”.

At the meeting the sides exchanged thoughts about the prospects of development of Armenian-Indian relations, new directions of partnership.

The interlocutors mentioned that Armenia and India have great potential for deepening cooperation and can implement mutually beneficial programmes in a number of fields, in particular high technologies, education, healthcare, transportation, air communication, culture and tourism.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and India and the sides emphasized that based on 30 year of interstate relations, opportunities for implementation of more ambitious programmes should be created.

Energy efficiency transformation projects in Armenia: reality, impacts, and future expectations

 09:48, 5 April, 2022

YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. In 2017 Green Climate Fund approved a 20 million USD grant for the greenhouse gas emissions reduction project in Armenia by improving buildings’ energy efficiency. Later in 2020, history was made when the Armenian government approved buildings’ energy efficiency retrofits as eligible under the state subvention program. Having the Armenian government as a primary partner in this project is a huge advantage for all beneficiaries in public and residential buildings. It improves the living conditions of ordinary people and creates an opportunity for more mutual projects in the future.

UNDP and GCF joint forces with the Armenian government to make a difference in the energy efficiency sector in Armenia, a sector that needs a lot of work and has to be appropriately presented to the people in order to utilize its outcomes. Ordinary people need to understand the short and long-term advantages of transforming their residential communities to become energy efficient. Only then a real change will happen, and it will open the door for a green Armenia that contributes positively to global climate change and can guarantee a better quality of life for its people.

How does it impact climate change?

The project’s direct impact is lowering greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants from burning fossil fuels for heating. Up to 5.8 million tons of CO2 will be saved over 20 years. It is equivalent to the CO2 emissions from about 630,000 homes’ energy use for one year! Or the CO2 sequestered by around 6,500,000 acres of U.S. forests in one year!

In a country with a cold winter like Armenia, where the temperature could drop to 20-30 degrees below zero, such emissions are not a surprise since individual gas boilers heat most residential properties with a total absence of energy-efficient solutions in the majority of the buildings. We consider addressing global climate change as our responsibility, and we aim to de-risk its effects in Armenia one building at a time. Still, we recognize the reality of our circumstances, and we know it’s impossible to retrofit every single building in the country.

Here comes the indirect impact of our project, which is to lead by example and spread the culture of energy efficiency among Armenian people by all possible means, whether by informative videos, publications, social media platforms, and even energy efficiency passports for the buildings we retrofit. We need to show them the change energy efficiency solutions can make to their lives and to gradually increase their interest in implementing such solutions at their own cost.

What added value does it have for the Armenian economy?

Scaling up the investment in energy efficiency solutions is one of the primary targets of this project. We want to encourage the private investors in Armenia to participate in this domain actively. Our project will gradually create the need for such solutions in the local market; hence supply will emerge to cover the increasing local demand. Sooner or later, it will help support existing workforces, create not temporary but permanent green jobs, bring foreign investments, improve the country’s competency in this field, and eventually fasten our steps towards addressing climate change.

We have witnessed promising signs of interest in local communities throughout the last two years, especially after we finished retrofitting over seventy residential buildings. As we move forward with our project, we’ll motivate more people to take the initiative and join the green energy efficiency movement in Armenia.

Besides that, we can’t ignore the role of energy efficiency solutions in meeting the growing energy demands in Armenia. Energy savings will support the Armenian national economy and increase governmental investments in other fields.

A better life for the Armenian population

Utility bills are always a big problem for the poor people in Armenia, especially the gas bills in the freezing winter and the electricity bills in the hot days of summer. Some families would struggle to maintain their heating or cooling systems running. Besides the climate and economic impacts, we estimate that over 200,000 people in Armenia will benefit from this project.

Residents of rural areas will have a chance of better living conditions for lower utility bills. The more people can save on utilities, the more they can spend in domestic markets to enhance their lives. While researching the selected regions and areas of the project, we found that the most vulnerable households are women-headed, ranging from 15% to 30% of the total beneficiaries. The project will support these women to help them provide a better life for their families. To put that in other words. Warmer residential buildings, lower monthly expenses, and a better lifestyle for the poor Armenian segment of the society.

Eliminating energy poverty

Many families in the rural areas of Armenia have bad economic circumstances. Despite the availability of energy solutions in the country like gas and electricity, they can’t use it consistently due to expensive utility bills. One of our project’s goals is to implement a sustainable solution to reasonably reduce the utility bills for these families by retrofitting residential buildings. Energy-efficient buildings consume fewer energy resources and provide better living conditions. So far, our effort has resulted in a substantial improvement in terms of cost savings in the buildings we’ve already retrofitted.

As a result of the energy efficiency retrofits we carried out at some residential communities, the total energy consumption decreased 2.4 to 4.2 times resulting in a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and 20-60% savings in heating and cooling costs. Furthermore, the market value of apartments in retrofitted buildings has grown by 10-15%.

Achieving energy independence

Although the Project won’t result in achieving total energy independence country-wise, it would assist communities in achieving partial energy independence. This step is only the beginning, and since we know it’s impossible to retrofit all buildings in Armenia, and we can’t implement energy efficiency solutions inside every apartment, our long-term plan, as demonstrated above, is to spread the energy efficiency culture across the country. We want local communities to take responsibility and engage in the energy efficiency movement on their own and look for solutions to become energy independent.

Practical steps towards an energy-efficient Armenia

The Project focuses on existing public and residential buildings, especially the old ’60s-’80s buildings that lack any signs of energy efficiency. Full and partial thermal retrofit plans were harmonized with improved building codes and standards of the Republic of Armenia and implemented in several buildings. Windows and doors on staircases were replaced, vestibule entrances were built, roofs and external walls were completely insulated, basic fire safety measures were addressed,  and modern LED lighting systems were installed.

UNDP assisted in doing quality control on the supplied materials, goods, and construction. Our work is still in progress to finish transforming 110 buildings in 14 communities into energy-efficient facilities by 2022.

Project uniqueness and requirements

There are many energy-efficiency projects worldwide, but the uniqueness in this one was convincing the Armenian government to take part as a primary co-financing partner to retrofit buildings for the better future of Armenia and its people.

Having the government as a primary co-funding partner in this project was a significant step forward in the international collaboration with Armenian official bodies regarding climate change. However, the GCF, the UNDP, and the Armenian government can’t fund the whole multi-building development project independently. The need for third-party funding partners is essential to keep pushing in the right direction. Only by that will our work result in a sustainable development model to achieve the energy efficiency transformation in Armenia.

International communities’ role in supporting the project is very noticeable, and it plays a crucial role in diversifying the financial sources required for the continuity of the project. We need to keep funds flowing to constantly push our project forward as we don’t want to limit our accomplishment to 110 buildings, but we need to do more so we can keep spreading energy efficiency awareness.

We want to spread the energy efficiency culture and scale up the energy-efficient retrofit of buildings; even with a different funding plan, we want this progress to continue by collaborating with national and international parties for its success and sustainability of achieved partnership with the communities.

Conclusion

In light of surrounding circumstances and the current situation, the need for having an energy efficiency transformation in Armenia is vital and growing. As it would not only contribute to the life of the Armenian people, it would also join the international efforts to address the global climate change issues in the building sector. We’ve already come a long way in our endeavor, but there is a lot of work to do in the future to ensure the stability of our project and the sustainability of its results in the long term, and that requires the international support of all concerned parties.

The Armenia government has been dynamic and open to collaboration in this regard, which alone is a big step towards an energy efficiency change in the country and a chance we need to grasp. We need to take the opportunity and combine all efforts to keep the project moving forward towards a green Armenia.

Diana Harutyunyan

Climate Change Programme Coordinator UNDP