YEREVAN, JULY 18, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan attaches importance to the production of a fuel as an alternative to firewood, stating that the country faces a firewood problem.

“Since the previous year we are discussing the issue of alternative fuel production to the firewood, the talk is about pellets and briquettes”, the PM said during today’s Cabinet meeting, adding that the ministry of environment will take the role of a project manager on this matter in order to be able to develop the production in Armenia.

“I want to note that when we are talking about pellets and briquettes, one should not think that we want to develop the so-called branch of special production of the third countries”, he said, adding that many apartments in Italy are heated through pellets.

The PM said he held a talk with minister of territorial administration and infrastructures Suren Papikyan over the development of alternative energy branch, when for instance, there are alternative ways for water heating.

In response the minister said this is one of the dynamically developing directions in Armenia. “Solar energy is widely used in our villages as a source of alternative energy”, the minister said.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan