YEREVAN. - The competition for the first landfill in Armenia corresponding to European standards may be announced in August 2017, Head of the Territorial Investment Policy Department of the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Development, Artashes Bakhshyan, told Armenian News – NEWS.am Wednesday.

The landfill will serve Kotayk and Gegharkunik provinces of Yerevan. It will be located in the former clay pit nearby Hrazdan town.

Earlier, the competition was scheduled for April-May but it was cancelled afterwards.

The overall cost of the program is 11 million euro. Half of it is the loan of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the other half being the grants from the European Neighborhood Investment Facility (3.5 mln), 2 million coming from the Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environmental Partnership (E5P).

Only the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) remains to be presented for the competition documentation.

Considering the fact that the project donors are Europeans, the competition will be international. There are no local companies with necessary experience yet: no landfills with modern cover and drainage system have ever been built in Armenia. “But, of course, the international contractor will also have a local partner,” Bakhshyan said.

The construction is expected to be completed in two years.