Armenia resumes construction of Kaps Reservoir after 30-year halt

YEREVAN, MAY 18, ARMENPRESS. The construction of the Kaps Reservoir in Armenia’s Shirak Province has commenced after a 30-year halt.

The €120,000,000 project envisages two stages – first, the construction of a reservoir with a capacity of 25 million cubic meters, and the second stage will increase the capacity to 60 million.

The Kaps Reservoir will be located 22 kilometers north of Gyumri, on the Akhuryan floodplains.

Authorities had planned its construction back in 1985 to provide irrigation water for over 30,000 hectares of land, but the project was halted in 1993 due to the worsening economic situation following the 1988 Spitak earthquake and the collapse of the USSR.

“Today marks the beginning of a very important and significant event for us,” Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Khachatryan said at the groundbreaking ceremony. “After many years of halt, the construction of Kaps Reservoir is finally commencing, and commissioning it will lead to key changes in the social and economic life,” he said, adding that the reservoir will become the required prerequisite for sustainable agriculture in many towns and villages.

Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures Gnel Sanosyan, foreign ambassadors and representatives of the contractors and financing organizations were also present at the event.

The first stage will allow saving 1,3 million kW⋅h of power annually by way of switching from manual to automatic irrigation. The projected power saving will reach 11 million kW⋅h under the second stage. Thousands of hectares of lands will be ensured with irrigation water as a result, leading to increased agricultural output.

Noting that the government attaches great importance to constructing reservoirs, Minister Sanosyan said that Kaps will save water, ensure irrigation of new areas, save electricity and also have positive impact in terms of tourism and other areas.

The project is implemented with the loan resources provided by KfWDevelopment Bank and co-funding by the Armenian government. The contractor is the Chinese Shanxi Construction Investment Group Co.

The construction is planned to last three years.

Moreover, a new village is being built nearby because the reservoir’s area will encompass parts of the Jradzor village.