INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Like other infrastructure projects in the U.S.S.R., the Krapivinskaya hydropower plant was born at a time when the Soviets dreamt of bending
diversify the local economy in Kemerovo (Kuzbass) away from coal
And big business, aiming to align itself with the fight against climate change, sees hydropower as a way to reduce its carbon emissions.The
push for Krapivinskaya is driven by the interests of aluminum giant Rusal and its parent company En+, which seeks to produce aluminum using
renewable hydropower and boast of its low carbon footprint to international markets, experts and activists told The Moscow Times.Meanwhile,
people and specialists involved with [the project]
When I found out that the construction was frozen in 1989, I realized that it was for a reason," they said.The activist requested anonymity
disagreements over its environmental impact.In recent years, businesses like the state-owned hydropower company RusHydro and the aluminum
group and aluminum producer En+ pledged in March an investment of 500 billion rubles ($5.4 billion) in several large hydropower plants in
Siberia, with Krapivinskaya identified as a priority.The Krapivinskaya hydropower plant.Kuzbass AdministrationOfficials in Kuzbass argue
skeptical of these purported benefits, have turned to legal means to halt the project.Yet their efforts have not gone unchallenged by
several districts in Kuzbass, certain residents encountered obstacles in attending.Some were shutout of the hearings, while others were
stopped by traffic police en route and sent to a narcology clinic for drug tests."It was the first time I had witnessed such blatant and
When activists first called and registered for the hearings, they were told, 'Okay, come.' But when they arrived, the door was closed," the
anonymous activist said.In March, police raided the apartment of Maxim Andrianov, a local public interest lawyer
He also received threats from unknown individuals and had his tire slashed in 2020
Some link the pressure on Andrianov to his opposition to Krapivinskaya.Activists say that the project is more likely to harm the environment
Residents of the settlements that will be submerged if the hydropower plant is completed have also voiced opposition.The Kuzbass
administration had initially approached the project with caution, said the activist
But when former Governor Sergei Tsivilyov came to power in 2018, authorities started to present it in a positive light.Tsivilyov, who is
sit down at the table and find the optimal solution together
coming from decaying organic matter at the bottom [of the created reservoir]
environmental impact assessment (EIA), the flooding will reach two nature reserves, six cemeteries and two livestock burial grounds
These reserves are crucial for hoofed animals and other wildlife, and the creation of the reservoir will bring nothing good in terms of
will flow into the new reservoir.Simonov said the construction on the Tom River, one of the last major Siberian rivers still untouched by
major dams, could impact the migration routes of fish species including taimen and grayling.The flooding zone is home to dozens of protected
plant and mushroom species, and the construction itself will result in the loss of land habitats for animals as well as spawning grounds for
diverse aquatic life.The Krapivinskaya hydropower plant.Yulia Khlevnaya / yandex.ru / mapsThough the EIA contains proposed measures to
Kemerovo region is already heavily disturbed, and here [on the Tom], together with a nature reserve located higher up in the mountains, is a
opportunity to allocate an endless amount of money for non-standard solutions to adapt structures built 40 years ago to modern construction
the government was in discussions to choose the company that would complete the Krapivinskaya plant.Another factor that could prolong the
placed sanctions on Russian aluminum in April, the Kommersant business daily reported.Deputy Industry and Trade Minister Viktor Yevtukhov
urged against "dramatizing the situation around Rusal," pointing to China as a more significant market for Russia.Reducing the carbon
footprint of aluminum production can be an advantage when selling to Western markets
The European Union, for example, will require importers to pay a carbon price for the amount of emissions embedded in their products
products and building the large hydropower plants needed to manufacture them.At the same time, those opposing the Krapivinskaya plant may
Some Kuzbass activists have allegedly been forced to sign a military contract to avoid jail."Well, what can I say..
There's no rule of law anymore
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