Delay Of Metsamor NPP Closure For 10-15 Years May Cost $150 Million
16.11.2010,
21:52
The delay of the closure of a Soviet-era nuclear power station in Metsamor, some 30 km west of the capital city Yerevan, for 10-15 years, may cost $100- $150 million, said Ashot Martirosian, chairman of the State Committee on Nuclear Safety.
YEREVAN, November 16, /ARKA /. The delay of the closure of a Soviet-era nuclear power station in Metsamor, some 30 km west of the capital city Yerevan, for 10-15 years, may cost $100- $150 million, said Ashot Martirosian, chairman of the State Committee on Nuclear Safety.
The plant was built in the 1970s but was closed following a devastating earthquake in 1988. Faced by severe shortage of electricity the government reactivated one of its two reactors in 1995. Armenian officials argue that the reactor, which accounts for 40 percent of Armenia's electricity generation, is safe enough to continue operating at least until 2016.
’The president of Armenia and its government have taken the decision that the plant will be closed only after a new reactor is built to replace it. It is difficult to say when that may happen. Nonetheless, we are getting ready to extend the operation of the plant for several years more, after its performance life is over ’ he told journalists today.
Although Metsamor's safety has been boosted with tens of millions of dollars of assistance provided by the United States and the EU, and it regularly undergoes repairs and maintenance, its VVER 440-V230 light-water reactor is considered by the EU to be one of the "oldest and least reliable" of 66 such facilities built in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.
Armenian government wants to replace it by a new generation of Russian-made VVER reactors, which is said to meet the IAEA's safety requirements. Armenia and Russia have recently set up a joint venture tasked with building the new reactor. The reactor is to have over 1,000 megawatts capacity, twice as powerful as the current Metsamor reactor.
The government has yet to attract funding for the project which is estimated to cost as much as $5 billion. In an attempt to attract foreign investors Armenian parliament revoked a state monopoly on ownership of nuclear power facilities.
According to Ashot Martirosian, the final decision on conservation of the plant will be made in 2014-2015 when it will be evident that the plant would not be decommissioned before December 5, 2014. He said conservation will cost $350-$400 million.
Under a 2003 agreement Armenian nuclear power plant's financial flows are managed by Russian Inter RAO UES, owned by Russian state-run Rosatom corporation. The agreement expires in 2013. –0—
The plant was built in the 1970s but was closed following a devastating earthquake in 1988. Faced by severe shortage of electricity the government reactivated one of its two reactors in 1995. Armenian officials argue that the reactor, which accounts for 40 percent of Armenia's electricity generation, is safe enough to continue operating at least until 2016.
’The president of Armenia and its government have taken the decision that the plant will be closed only after a new reactor is built to replace it. It is difficult to say when that may happen. Nonetheless, we are getting ready to extend the operation of the plant for several years more, after its performance life is over ’ he told journalists today.
Although Metsamor's safety has been boosted with tens of millions of dollars of assistance provided by the United States and the EU, and it regularly undergoes repairs and maintenance, its VVER 440-V230 light-water reactor is considered by the EU to be one of the "oldest and least reliable" of 66 such facilities built in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.
Armenian government wants to replace it by a new generation of Russian-made VVER reactors, which is said to meet the IAEA's safety requirements. Armenia and Russia have recently set up a joint venture tasked with building the new reactor. The reactor is to have over 1,000 megawatts capacity, twice as powerful as the current Metsamor reactor.
The government has yet to attract funding for the project which is estimated to cost as much as $5 billion. In an attempt to attract foreign investors Armenian parliament revoked a state monopoly on ownership of nuclear power facilities.
According to Ashot Martirosian, the final decision on conservation of the plant will be made in 2014-2015 when it will be evident that the plant would not be decommissioned before December 5, 2014. He said conservation will cost $350-$400 million.
Under a 2003 agreement Armenian nuclear power plant's financial flows are managed by Russian Inter RAO UES, owned by Russian state-run Rosatom corporation. The agreement expires in 2013. –0—