Russia to become major partner in building new Armenian nuclear power plant
20.10.2010,
23:37
Armenian prime minister Tigran Sarkisian told a group of Russian journalists in Yerevan that Russia will be one of the main participants in building a new unit for Armenian nuclear power plant along with France and the United States, which will bring thei
YEREVAN, October 20, /ARKA/ Armenian prime minister Tigran Sarkisian told a group of Russian journalists in Yerevan that Russia will be one of the main participants in building a new unit for Armenian nuclear power plant along with France and the United States, which will bring their state-of-the-art technology. He said some orders for the new unit are being placed already.
“All of this is evidence that the new unit will comply with best modern standards,’ he said, praising Russia as a leading nation building nuclear power plants in different countries.
‘There are no problems between Russia and Armenia. We are speaking the same language. We have skilled specialists, a single platform and common infrastructures to carry out this project,’ he said.
The new plant is supposed to operate at twice the capacity of the Soviet-constructed facility that currently generates some 40 percent of Armenia's electricity, but the Armenian government has yet to attract funding for the project that was estimated by a U.S.-funded feasibility study to cost at as much as $5 billion.
Chief of Russian nuclear agency Rosatom, Sergey Kirienko, was quoted by Russian and Armenian newspapers as saying earlier this year that Russia could cover 20% of the cost of the new plant’s construction.
During Russian president Dmitry Medvedev’s visit to Armenia in August the governments of Armenia and Russia signed an agreement on “technical and financial cooperation” for building a new unit at Armenia’s aging nuclear power plant set to be decommissioned in several years. An Armenian-Russian closed joint-stock company was set up late last year with the aim of building the new reactor. It is expected to secure 40% of the necessary funds and the rest is supposed to come from private investors. -0-
“All of this is evidence that the new unit will comply with best modern standards,’ he said, praising Russia as a leading nation building nuclear power plants in different countries.
‘There are no problems between Russia and Armenia. We are speaking the same language. We have skilled specialists, a single platform and common infrastructures to carry out this project,’ he said.
The new plant is supposed to operate at twice the capacity of the Soviet-constructed facility that currently generates some 40 percent of Armenia's electricity, but the Armenian government has yet to attract funding for the project that was estimated by a U.S.-funded feasibility study to cost at as much as $5 billion.
Chief of Russian nuclear agency Rosatom, Sergey Kirienko, was quoted by Russian and Armenian newspapers as saying earlier this year that Russia could cover 20% of the cost of the new plant’s construction.
During Russian president Dmitry Medvedev’s visit to Armenia in August the governments of Armenia and Russia signed an agreement on “technical and financial cooperation” for building a new unit at Armenia’s aging nuclear power plant set to be decommissioned in several years. An Armenian-Russian closed joint-stock company was set up late last year with the aim of building the new reactor. It is expected to secure 40% of the necessary funds and the rest is supposed to come from private investors. -0-
