Environment, Events, News

AUA Acopian Center Hosts Consultative Workshop on Biogas Development in Armenia

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YEREVAN, Armenia — On April 22, the American University of Armenia (AUA) Acopian Center for the Environment convened a consultative workshop titled “Biogas for Armenia,” drawing together a diverse group of stakeholders to explore the country’s potential for biogas development. The workshop was organized within the framework of the Waste Policy Armenia (WPA) program, funded by Sweden and implemented by the AUA Acopian Center for the Environment in close collaboration with the AUA Energy Transitions for Climate Solutions initiative. It brought together over 100 participants, including representatives from national and local governments, international organizations, academia, private companies, and civil society. Coinciding with Earth Day, the workshop highlighted the importance of sustainable energy solutions as part of Armenia’s broader environmental agenda.

The one-day event served as a platform to examine the role of biogas in Armenia’s transition to a circular economy and cleaner energy future. In his opening remarks, Alen Gasparian Amirkhanian, director of the AUA Acopian Center for the Environment, emphasized the wide-ranging benefits of harvesting bio-waste for biogas production, enhancing Armenia’s energy security, climate change mitigation, nutrient recovery to fertilize soil, and creation of green jobs, among other gains. He also highlighted that most of the 10 biogas initiatives attempted in Armenia over the past two decades are considered unsuccessful for a variety of reasons, such as poor design, inadequate business model, and more. The question he raised to frame the event’s discussion was: “Will the picture change if we have a better regulatory environment, better business models, and think of a solution at the system level?”

Morten Gyllenborg, the CEO of Renew Energy, a Denmark-based engineering and consulting firm with long-standing international experience in the field, presented the preliminary findings of the biogas infrastructure development pre-feasibility study in Armenia. He primarily addressed the potential of key organic waste streams for biogas production in Armenia, along with proposed biogas models, their financial and technical assessments, infrastructure requirements, risk analysis, and a phased implementation strategy. The session concluded with a dynamic Q&A segment, marked by strong participant engagement.

A central component of the workshop was the interactive breakout group discussions, during which participants collaboratively identified challenges currently hindering the growth of the biogas sector in Armenia, such as gaps in the regulatory framework, insufficient financial incentives, the absence of a clear business case, limited public and stakeholder awareness, and other related topics. The groups also reviewed proposed recommendations to improve market conditions for biogas investment and development, and later presented their findings during a plenary session.

As a key output of the workshop, a draft roadmap was introduced, outlining short- and medium-term priorities for advancing biogas in Armenia, including:

Establishing pilot projects to demonstrate feasibility and benefits
Developing supportive policies and incentive mechanisms
Building technical capacity and public-private partnerships
Integrating biogas into national waste management and clean energy strategies

The event marked a significant step in fostering multi-sectoral collaboration and knowledge exchange about biogas. Participants expressed an interest in continuing the dialogue and working together to implement pilot initiatives and long-term strategies.

By uniting key stakeholders and sparking meaningful dialogue, the “Biogas for Armenia” workshop helped shape Armenia’s path toward renewable energy and a circular economy, further establishing the AUA Acopian Center as a hub for collaborative environmental innovation and policy development.

Recordings of the presentation on preliminary findings and the breakout discussions are available on the AUA Acopian Center’s YouTube channel.

The AUA Acopian Center for the Environment, a research center of the American University of Armenia (AUA), promotes the protection and restoration of the natural environment through research, education, and community outreach. The AUA Acopian Center’s focus areas include sustainable natural resource management, biodiversity protection and conservation, greening the built environment, sustainable energy, as well as information technology and the environment. Visit ace.aua.am

The Swedish-funded “Waste Policy Armenia” program is implemented by the Acopian Center for the Environment in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment of Armenia and the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Armenia. Visit Waste Policy Armenia․