What Stage is the Construction of the Vedi Reservoir in?

The Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, Gnel Sanosyan, announced during a government meeting in February 2022 that the construction of the Vedi reservoir would be completed by the end of 2022. In January 2023, when it became clear that the construction work on the reservoir was still unfinished, Minister Sanosyan stated that the deadline for the reservoir's construction had been extended, promising that it would be operational in the second half of 2023.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited the construction site of the reservoir in June 2023 and instructed that the construction be completed by the end of the year at all costs. “There is no alternative; you either do it or you don’t. It must be completed,” said Pashinyan.

#CivilNetCheck contacted the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure to inquire about the current stage of the reservoir's construction. It turned out that the deadline has been violated for the third time.

The construction project of the Vedi reservoir in the Ararat region began in 2013 with a loan of 75 million euros from the French Development Agency, along with 15 million euros in co-financing from the Armenian government. The construction of the reservoir commenced in 2017 and was originally set to be completed by the beginning of 2021. However, it was later postponed to the end of 2022 and then again to the second half of 2023.

Currently, despite the promises from the Minister of Territorial Administration and the “unyielding” instructions from the Prime Minister, the Vedi reservoir is still not ready. The Ministry has stated that “the construction work on the reservoir is 98 percent complete” and that it will be finished next year.

“A layer of clay needs to be added, for which favorable weather conditions are required, but the weather has not been conducive in recent days,” they reported from the ministry.