Otar Shamugia paid a visit to the ‘’Rustavi Azot’’ chemical plant in the town of Rustavi

Otar Shamugia paid a visit to the ''Rustavi Azot'' chemical plant in the town of Rustavi

The Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture Otar Shamugia attended the signing of the Memorandum between the ''Rustavi Azot'' chemical plant and the official representative of the Nitric Acid Climate Change Action Group - Nacag - the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) in the town of Rustavi.
The Memorandum aims to provide the nitric acid producers from the member countries with the Carbon dioxide (CO2) capture technology to reduce emissions of hazardous air pollutants. The German government provides financial and technical support to the countries participating in the project.

"One of the main priorities for our government is taking care of the environment. In recent years, we have implemented several important reforms in this direction and we are actively continuing this process. We have both financial and technical support from our international partners, which is crucial. Moreover, important project will be launched in the ''Rustavi Azot'' chemical plant with the support of German partners. The German government will help ''Rustavi Azot'' in the adoption of modern technologies, which, in turn, will give us the opportunity to fulfil our obligations taken under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and improve the air quality in Rustavi, in the vicinity of the industrial zone," said Mr. Otar Shamugia.

The Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, the Chairman of the Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Committee of the Parliament of Georgia, Mrs. Maya Bitadze, the Mayor of Rustavi, Mrs. Nino Latsabidze, and the State Representative in Kvemo Kartli region, Mr. Giorgi Dokhturishvili attended the signing ceremony of the Grant Agreement.

"The agreement signed between the parties is a step forward if we take into account that activities of the company "Rustavi Azot" might have a critical impact on air quality, air pollution and climate change.
The project envisages the use of the best environmental technologies and the replacement of the full production cycle, which is unprecedented in the Georgian reality. I believe, that this will be a clear example for all companies to see, that in cooperation with the state, they can receive appropriate funding from donors if they embrace the modern performance management cycle and if their activities are under the scope of the proper environmental management system," said Mrs. Maia Bitadze.

The German government will provide the Rustavi nitrogen plant with Euro 2 million grant funding to support the re-equipment of the company and reduce emissions of hazardous air pollutants. According to the Agreement, the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection will finance up to 50% of the cost of the project, and the rest will be financed by the "Rustavi Azot" chemical plant itself.

It should be mentioned, that the "Rustavi Azot" plant has deployed an automatic self-monitoring system for the emission of harmful substances into the ambient air and continuously provides the monitoring results to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture.

According to the Mayor of Rustavi, Mrs. Nino Latsabidze, any step taken to improve the production process in the enterprises in the town of Rustavi including new investments serves the interest of the town. The main demand of the local residents is to improve the ecological condition of the town as soon as possible.
German specialists conducted monitoring in the nitric acid plant to determine the amount of nitrogen oxide (NO2) emissions. As a result, the plant has received a feasibility study on the emission reduction project, whereupon, the Carbon dioxide (CO2) capture technology related issues and details were determined.