Research on the “Armenia should advance sustainable mining while improving social, economic, and environmental outcomes” argument.

Vahagn Hayrapetyan

02 March, 2024

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Overview of the mining sector in Armenia

The Republic of Armenia is a sovereign country with its sovereign right to control and use mines within its sovereign territory. There are 670 solid mineral mines registered in the state inventory of mineral resources. This number includes 30 metal mines, of which currently 22 are being exploited, and overall, around 400 mines are exploited. The lands of the Republic of Armenia are rich in molybdenum, lead, copper, iron, gold, etc. As of now, from the perspective of metal minerals, there are 4 copper mines, 7 copper-molybdenum mines, 1 aluminum mine, 14 gold-polymetallic mines, 2 polymetallic and 2 iron-ore mines. In operation, there are 15 tailings with a territory of around 700 hectares. Unfortunately, the generated waste is not being utilized.

Armenia is concentrated on getting a final product of concentrates only with high concentration of zinc, copper, and molybdenum. The concentrates do not let to use all the potential of the mining industry. The extraction and final product-making will enable Armenia to make products that are highly valued in the industry. Anyways, the mining industry is considered a significant contributor to the Armenian economy. As almost half of Armenian exports are ensured by the mining industry, metals and ore concentrates are considered the country’s most important products of export.

The culture of mining has historical roots in the Armenian region. The opening of the first copper mine in Alaverdi was in the early 1770s, then, it was opened in Kapan in the 1840s and in Kajaran in the 1950s. After the independence, the mining sector development efforts continued but faced some challenges including geographical location and transportation difficulties. However, the created difficulties didn’t keep back the country from reforms in the sector. Improvements began at the beginning of the 21st century with regulatory framework amendments and privatization of major mining companies. Armenia was not alone in this mission, as there was support from international donors for improving industry legislation based on international practices. Currently, the Armenian government is working on a modernization of the domestic mining sector.

One of the leading companies in the industry is “Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine” (ZCMC), which is the operator company of the largest mine in the country in Kajaran. The company ensures 60 percent of the annual turnover of the mining industry. Alongside with “Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine”, several other companies are producing copper, but in smaller amounts. There are companies in Agarak and Teghut, which are in the country’s north but currently are closed because of addressed environmental concerns. Furthermore, gold is the second most important aspect of the Armenian mining industry.? The “Lydian Armenia” is the operator of the Amulsar gold mine. The leading gold mine in Armenia is Sotk, which suspended its major part of operations because of shootings from Azerbaijani military forces, which are located nearby.

Parallel to the fact that the mining sector is under the purview of the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Armenia, the Armenian government has an active presence in the mining industry. It happened due to the donation of the company “Geopromining Armenia” to the Armenian government. The company earlier in 2021 acquired 60 percent of the shares of “Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine” and gave 25 percent of the bought shares to the Government. Likewise, the “Lydian Armenia” as agreed, granted to the government 12.5 percent of shares of the Amulsar gold mine.

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History raised concerns about negative effects on the environment. Having this background, the government continuously tries to conduct environmental assessments by engaging civil society. However, the mining sector made a serious contribution to the Armenian economy and enabled the development of new projects that contribute to the responsibility and productivity of the sector.

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Literature review

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The international mining practices include country exploitation and responsible mining practices. Sweden is one of the leading countries that is being separated for its best practices of responsible mining. The given permissions, regulatory frameworks, and ongoing technology developments contribute to the advancement of responsible mining in the country.? Responsible mining represents a set of actions that have the purpose to minimize negative impacts on the environment while simultaneously increasing economic profits. Sweden is making steps toward the advancement of sustainable mining because mining is an important sphere for the state as well. The production of electric batteries for cars requires cobalt and lithium. Furthermore, the mining industry is considered one of the major employers and a huge taxpayer in the country. Finally, mining enriches the Swedish production arsenal with critical raw materials, which promotes step-by-step independence from imports. (The Swedish Association of Mines, Mineral and Metal Producers, 2021) Parallel to understanding the importance of the mining sector in the country, the state doesn’t fail in its role to ensure sustainability in the sector. Getting permission represents a hard and multi-stage process, in which several state control bodies are involved. Standards such as ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and ICMM (International Council on Mining and Metals) are being carefully preserved along with continuous investments in technological innovations and minimization of water usage and energy consumption. The achievements in the sphere don’t keep Sweden back from implementing new projects towards green and responsible mining. (Ministry of Enterprise Energy and Communications Sweden, n.d)

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The mining discourse is full of debates regarding the effectiveness and harmfulness of mining operations. Many experts express their various opinions about different kinds of operations of mining. Of course, international mining history has experiences, where the mines have been closed by suspending their operations. However, most countries continue to use the land resources they have been given. It is argued that parallel with the development of the world, the demand for mining products increases. The world step by step goes into a green transition, by shifting to electric cars. ?With the reduction in gas emissions, more mining products become necessary for electrical battery production. A balance is created between the beneficial sides of mining and the harmful factors. Mining is seen as a necessary factor for the green transition; however, it also harms the environment. Thus, it is more important to implement responsible mining and come up with sustainable solutions. (Isaacs-Thomas, 2023)

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Moving forward, the Armenian mining experience is full of public debates and controversial opinions. From the Soviet times, some interest groups have continuously raised concerns about the management and transparency of the mining sector. Debates vary from mine ownership issues to environmental ones.? Along with the opposing opinions, there are supporting arguments as well. In 2011, the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Armen Movsisyan underscored about state’s obligation to maintain its eco-friendly status. Then, it was highlighted that Armenia is on the path of legislative framework updates, to increase the control level of the sphere. (Isakhanyan, 2013) Furthermore, international sources not only consider the mineral wealth of Armenia, as one of the reasons that make the country famous but also highlight the importance of continuous operation of the sector. With highly contributing to the economy, the mining industry creates jobs for the nearest population as well. Because of its multi-beneficial feature, the industry has always been the center of public interest. (Avinyan, 2019) For that matter, the government initiated the creation of a multi-stakeholder group and encouraged both civil society and the mining sector to present candidates for membership in the group. It was historic, in terms of cooperation level. (The World Bank, n.d).

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Consequently, Armenia is one of the 57 countries that agreed to comply with the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) standard, which aims to make the natural resources management process more accountable. (EITI, n.d) By involving the government, civil society, and companies in the process, EITI provides benefits for all of them. It requires information along the extractive industry value chain from the point of extraction. (EITI, n.d) It underscores the importance of information accessibility and availability and requires respective steps from the stakeholders. Standard contributes to the creation of an attractive environment for investors as it indicates about state’s willingness to ensure accountability in the process. Similarly, the transparent process will fill the information gap between the state and civil society. At last, joining to EITI team gives stability to the state and promotes the idea of rule of the game in the sector. (EITI, n.d)

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Analyses

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Effect of the mining sector on the social and economic development of Armenia.

The mining sector of the Republic of Armenia has a visible impact on the Armenian economy. On a long-term scale, the ensured revenues for the government increase. Back in 2016, the share of the mining sector in the Armenian Gross Domestic Product was 2.6 percent. (EITI, 2018) Comparably, in 2019 the proportion was 2.8 percent and almost 40 percent of Armenian total exports. For the same year, the sector offered revenue for the government of 5.4 percent. (EITI, 2019) As it is understood, the percentage contribution to the economy doesn’t change dramatically. The non-major change in percentage may relate to the parallel development of a whole number of gross domestic product, but the fact is that in the long-term the mining sector develops and continues to provide more contribution to the economy each year. The latest statistics show a contribution to the economy with approximately 2.4 percent. (Armstat, 2024) Moreover, Armenia is an importing country, and since its independence years, the net exports have been negative. As mentioned above, the mining industry provides the state with a huge amount of exports. The increasing pattern shows the potential of the sector. Mining products share the highest positions in the list of Armenian exports. In 2020, Armenia exported copper ore of 695 million dollars, which represents 24 percent of total exports. Similarly, gold represented the percentage of 16 in the list with almost half a billion-dollar record. (Observatory of Economic Complexity, 2021) From the 2000s, mining products were priorities for Armenian exports. Those products were gold, diamond, and copper ore.

Moving forward, the mining sector besides having a direct impact on the economy, also has an indirect one. Firstly, the sector provides people with jobs. As of 2017, the number of employees was 9179. (EITI, 2018) As the capital city Yerevan and regions are not parallelly developing, investments in regions are encouraged. Mining employees that are from the capital city represent only 3.6 percent, all remaining are mainly from those regions where mines are located. The leader is Syunik region, which represents 70 percent of mining employees. (EITI, 2018) Secondly, the mining industry is taxed by the state tax authorities. As of 2017 metal mining companies ensured the 7 percent of state budget revenues. (EITI, 2018). The revenues for the state budget are not only generated from taxes. There are other payments to the state as well. Companies pay royalties, customs duty, customs taxes, fines, penalties, and rent. Not only state budget benefit from the company payments, but also local communities get financial resources. Similarly, companies make donations and promote the development of nearby cities and regions. In 2023 a cooperation memorandum was signed between the city of Kajaran and “Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine”. The memorandum represents actions toward the development of the economy, culture, education, and healthcare. (Aravot, 2023) Also, the company financed and celebrated the birthday of Kajaran city, together with the local people. Even the company invested funds into the reconstruction of Syunik airport, which serves for inner flights from 2023. Thirdly, mining products are widely used in construction and vehicle battery making. As the construction sphere is on a rapidly developing track, the supply from the mining sector will be useful for the sector. Additionally, as Armenia plans to develop vehicle vehicle-making industry, the mining products can help in the production of electric batteries.

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Mining industry and environment.

Mining is one of the industries that parallel to its profitability, creates challenges for the environment. Operations of the sector are intensive and often leave a large environmental impact on surrounding regions. Mining processes require water usage. At some stages, the water is polluted in a way that further recycling is being prevented. Moreover, as water resources are not limitless, intensive use can result in a shortage of water for communities. (Appiah, Osman, 2014) Furthermore, mining tailings cause pollution of the environment. Companies transfer economically non-valuable fractions to the tailings. That waste can be composed of chemical and radioactive materials, which can harm the environment in case of tailing leakages, which unfortunately happens. (Witchals, 2022) Moreover, the mining may affect land quality. The excavation and infrastructure construction processes may lead to land infertility. Also, deforestation is one of the concerning outcomes of mining. Lastly, from the context of greenhouse gases, mining operations may have both indirect and direct effects. Directly, in case of high energy and fossil fuels usage greenhouse gas emissions can happen. Likewise, indirectly, the elimination of green areas and vegetables limits the opportunity for oxygen production. (Witchals, 2022)

?All the harmful practices of mining obligate states and experts to come up with solutions that will remove the harmful components from the process as much as possible. It is important to weigh up social and environmental safety over the profits from mining products. Taking this into consideration, modern operational methods and strict regulations are integrated to substitute the traditional ones. The following appeared in discourse with two terms such as “sustainable mining”, “modern mining” or “responsible mining”. One of the leading companies in Armenia that is responsible for the implementation of the “Amulsar” project, prioritizes modern mining and describes the following. It is argued that modern mining is based on standards and regulations that aim to manage risks to the environment. If the mining is done properly, there won’t be any change in the quality of land, water, or air. It is underscored that human lives are not affected by modern mines, otherwise there wouldn’t be mining in developed countries like Norway and Canada. (Lydian Armenia, n.d.) Consequently, modern mining represents responsibility towards local animal species as well. In case of incompatibility, the company should take care and implement steps to move the species to a new well-created environment. (Lydian Armenia, n.d.) It is more important that companies not only declare about sustainable mining but also implement steps towards it. The dialogue between the local communities and companies is extremely important for preserving environmental and social justice. (Kirsch, 2010)

Moving forward, the rising demand for minerals is likely to increase in future years. Thus, environmental, social, and governance practices need to be imported and used to satisfy market demand without much harm to the environment. Environmental Social Governance is a set of standards that include social and environmental issues. These standards are highly valued by investors. Thus, companies try to keep these standards to be attractive to the financial market. (Bandura, Hardman, 2023) It is argued that there are important factors that make ESG successful. First, mining is a multistage process and is mainly composed of exploration, extraction, processing, transportation, and sales. Each process of this value chain can include challenges for the environment. Therefore, it is stressed that all the stages should be thoughtfully planned before the start of the first stage. Second, participation is valued in the process. Without the involvement of both public and private sectors, the safe mining process can’t be successful. Specifically, throughout the chain, many conflicts or challenges may arise, which should be addressed. Keeping all the principles is not the sole responsibility of mining companies. (Bandura, Hardman, 2023) That’s why social and state participation is prioritized here.

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The private sector engagement is vivid in Armenia. “Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine” is the first and yet the only one that publishes ESG reports. The first publication was dedicated to the 70 anniversary of the company, during which the top management of the company declared the company’s dedication to sustainable mining. (Finport, 2022). ?There are already two reports released. The long extensive report includes different aspects of the industry, starting from environmental sustainability to the safety of company employees. The report also includes yearly updated information about the company’s structure, share ownerships, values, strategies, etc. Parallel to sustainable mining, the company also reports financial contributions to the state. In 2022, ZCMC contributed to the Armenian Gross Domestic Product with an overall 822 million dollars. Likewise, there was an investment in infrastructure development of 36 million dollars and tax contributions were about 220 million dollars for the year 2022. (ZCMC ESG Report, 2022) Shifting to sustainability, the company shows its full contribution to sustainable practices. It is guaranteed that at every stage of the operation, sustainability is a priority and the standards are being met due to the respective measurement tools and equipment. Also, there was a reference to the social component as well. The contribution and cooperation with local communities are highly valued, which is supported by including real examples. In 2022, the social and development projects took 15 million dollars from the company, which was twice as much as last year’s result.?? (ZCMC ESG Report, 2022) Consequently, the company addresses climate change adaptation and environmental responsibility. By introducing preventative measures, mitigation efforts, adaptation initiatives, employee awareness, and continuous monitoring the company tries to contribute to decarbonization goals. In detail, the calculations and implemented projects follow. Additionally, the company recognizes its responsibility in front of the environment. Special environmental and sustainability policies were established with their respective teams. There is a special focus on the efficient use of natural resources, energy conservation, waste reduction, and biodiversity conservation. Again, all the arguments are supported by the presented statistics and numbers. Parallel to completed projects, the future and targets are being set. Specifically, they aim to get an ESG rating from the international community. Also, a comprehensive water resource management system is planned to be introduced, together with new advanced tailing treatment methods. (ZCMC ESG Report, 2022)?? Interestingly, the company released a report on TCFD (Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures), which is concentrated on the effective evaluation of climate-related risks. (TCFD, n.d)

From a legal perspective, Armenian law has a mandatory requirement for ?Environmental Impact Assessment. (Armenian Legal Information System, 2014) It aims to explore the danger level of operational companies’ impact on the environment and human health. Also, it promotes environmentally safe rational decision-making. Specifically, the process involves 3 stakeholders, which are the company that orders the assessments, the firm that assesses the performance, and the public, which has the right to be informed about the results and participate in discussions on that matter. On the latter, “Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine” organized a public discussion on one of the Environmental Impact Assessment reports about a future project. (Ecolur, n.d) Likewise, the Ministry of Environment of Armenia publishes all reports on its website. The list includes reports ordered by various companies operating in the state. Two leading mining companies, “Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine” and “Lydian Armenia” have also their reports published.

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Sustainable mining for attracting foreign direct investment.

Furthermore, investments play an important role in the process of shifting to sustainable mining. Both states and companies highly value foreign direct investments. From the company's perspective, it increases its technological and financial capacity. Likewise, for the state, foreign direct investments promote the prosperity of the company, which in turn results in greater economic results. The modern world encourages sustainable practices in all spheres, which somehow changed the decision-making criteria for investors. One of the core components is ESG practices. As the planet faces serious environmental challenges, keeping ESG standards is vital. For this purpose, responsible investments are encouraged, which can finance those companies that have well-performed ESG standards. Investments also can be made in monitoring projects. (Holmes, Maule, 2016) Besides the environmental factor, the mining sector also is separated for its profitability. Investment companies and banks parallel with environmental concerns have their financial interests. (United nations conference on Trade and development, 2011)

The Armenian mining sector also is a beneficiary of foreign investments. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development invested in a couple of projects in Armenia. (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2020) The investments serve as extra guarantees that projects comply with the standards. In case of controversiality, investments are suspended, which is an additional indicator for operating companies to keep standards.

Additionally, successful mining companies usually are listed in the stock markets. As of now, 121 stock exchanges have joined the Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative, which is a UN Partnership program. The initiative functions by conducting research and following sustainability measures implementations. Stock markets by joining this initiative, add sustainability standard requirements to their listing criteria. (Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative, n.d) Both “Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine” and “Lydian Armenia” are listed on the Armenia Securities Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange respectively, which have joined the Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative. (Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative, n.d).

Lastly, investments increase the dialogue level between local and foreign partners. States try to keep the investment sector as stable as possible to attract more investors from abroad. Besides that, investments increase foreign involvement in the sector, which in turn increases the stability of the region. After the 2020 Artsakh war, several Armenian regions came on the state borders with the conflicting neighboring country. The case refers Kajaran copper and molybdenum mine operated by “Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine”? and the Sotk gold mine operated by "GeoProMining Gold" LLC. Even the operation of the latest is suspended because of border military skirmishes. So, investments in these companies can increase international attention and support regional stability and peace.

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Findings and conclusion

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The data shows the sector’s serious contribution to the Armenian economy. The mining sector prepares products that represent half of the country’s exports. Delivering qualified products will develop economic ties between the trading countries. Moreover, the contribution to the economy represents an increase in gross domestic product. The latter will contribute to the advancement of the standard of living in Armenia. Besides serving direct state budget revenue donors, the sector also promotes regional, community, and infrastructure development. Furthermore, Armenia is a small landlocked country with limited resources. The natural resources of Armenia are of the highest level of interest to the society. Improving good relations between the companies and local communities gives hope for future cooperation. ?The fact was again approved when the public discussion cases were initiated.

Of course, mining operations that don’t have proper management harm the environment in various ways. However, the Armenian mining sector is not behind in world developments. Modern sustainable practices and assessment standards are being used to increase the eco-friendliness of the operations. Armenian companies show a willingness to be part of environmental, social, and governance frameworks and come up with modern sustainable projects. Periodical operational assessments and ESG reports will increase the transparency of operations and the availability of information to the public.

Moreover, from a financial perspective, being listed in stock markets increases the chance of sustainable projects. Even some shares of the top Armenian mining companies belong to the Government of Armenia. Leaving conspiracy theories alone, the Armenian government currently is involved in the process and can function as an overseeing body. The government can check whether the sustainability standards are being kept. This will allow to decrease the bad impact on the environment as much as possible. Also, it will keep the sector’s attractiveness to foreign investors at a good level.

Consequently, the government of the Republic of Armenia currently adopted a peace strategy. In the background of political processes and announcements about the Syunik region, the government can invest in the Kajaran mine and encourage investments in the region, which will increase the interest level of the region abroad and somehow may prevent possible military actions in the region.

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In conclusion, the Armenian mining sector showed its features to have a promising path of development in the future. Having a high level of interest in the sphere, the mining sector is valued highly in the country. Convincing facts about sustainability development and clear devotion to environmental responsibility underscore the importance of sector advancement.?

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References.

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?????????? ????????????????? ????????? ? ??????? ?????????? ???????? ??????????? ????????????????? ???????? (2023) https://www.aravot.am/2023/07/13/1354894/

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