YEREVAN (Noyan Tapan)–The "Nairit" chemical plant has been restarted after a long downtime. The restart is due to the Russian gas to be borrowed in the amount of 5 million cubic meters per month. The plant is expected to produce 800 tons of chloroprene rubber a month. The first batch of rubber will be exported to Ukraine shortly.
The plant’s debt to the energy sector is 300 million drams. It owes 7 billion drams to the state budget–and its debt for gas amounts to 14 billion drams. The 3,100-staff of "Nairit" have not been paid wages for 11 months; the plant’s arrears of wages totals to 300 million drams.
According to the plant’s manager Ashot Brutian–the plant will be operating without interruption in the coming year. A schedule of work without debts and a time-table of debt repayment will also be approved. He believes the plant will be able to pay of all debts and start making profit in three years.