Flue Gas Emissions Leave Clouds of Smoke Over Armenian Town

For several days now Alaverdi, a town in the Armenian Lori Province, has been filled with smoke due to emissions from the flue-gas stack of a copper smelting and refining plant in the town, owned by "Armenian Copper Program" CJSC, Anush Evoyan, Coordinator of Alaverdi Aarhus Center, wrote on Wednesday, June 3. 

The stack, as stated by Evoyan, is old, and the new pipe built on Mt. Koshaberd does not operate yet. The old flue-gas stack, as stated by the author, is considered a backup, and is meant to be used during industrial accidents and other related situations.

However, due to the emissions from the old stack, clouds of smoke have accumulated over Alaverdi, significantly changing the condition of ambient air in the town. 

The coordinator of Aarhus Centre, as reported by EcoLur, has sent an inquiry to the company. According to the response, the company needs 45 days to complete the planned maintenance of the newly constructed flue-gas stack of the copper smelting plant in Alaverdi.