`Radioactive Mountain: Andrias Ghukasyan raised the issue of  uranium reserves at Amulsar

ArmInfo.At the government level, attempts are being made to reduce the importance of the Amulsar issue to the public as much as possible, and to limit the dissemination of information regarding the problem. Political  scientist Andrias Ghukasyan stated this at a press conference on  August 14.

Ghukasyan agreed that during the recent period, the Armenian  government has made little informative statements on Amulsar, which,  in his opinion, is due to a change in tactics. "Attempts are being  made to reduce the importance of the Amulsar issue to the public as  much as possible, and to limit the dissemination of information  regarding the problem," he said.

The political scientist drew attention to the fact that, according to  studies carried out back in the Soviet era, approximately 76 tons of  uranium were calculated in the areas of the Amulsar manifestation,  which in fact turns Amulsar into a radioactive mountain. This  situation cannot but cause concern among experts, who have not yet  received a clear answer regarding the risks of developing Amulsar.

Ghukasyan noted that the conclusion of the Elard company on the study  financed by the Government of the Republic of Armenia indicates that  the permit for subsoil use in Amulsar was issued on the basis of  insufficient data. In fact, as the expert noted, this conclusion  would have been sufficient for a criminal case, but in fact it was  terminated. To recall, the matter concerns a criminal case initiated  in the summer of 2018 on the alleged fact of deliberate concealment  by officials of the RA Ministry of Nature Protection of data on  environmental pollution under the Amulsar project. A year later, the  Investigative Committee announced the termination of the case, which  was criticized by environmentalists and activists.

Ghukasyan also pointed out that international financial structures  have changed their attitude towards the Amulsar project, and earlier  the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) announced  the end of its participation in the project. In this regard, the  expert called on the RA Government to finally voice its opinion on  the development of the Amulsar field.

The total cost of the Amulsar project, which is being implemented by  Lydian Armenia, is $ 370 million.  The life of the deposit is 10  years and 4 months, while it is planned to produce an average of 200  thousand ounces of gold annually. For a number of years,  environmentalists have voiced their concerns about the implementation  of the project. Back in 2007, an article by Dr. of Geol.-Mineral  sciences G.P. Aloyan was published in the "Mining Journal", in which  the uranium reserves at Amulsar are estimated at 100 tons.  According  to the author, the Amulsar uranium occurrence is located 4 km  southeast of the village of Kechut and 5 km northwest of the top of  the mountain of the same name. At the same time, taking into account  uranium at the thorium site of the Amulsar manifestation, its total   reserves can be estimated at 100 tons.