Armenian expert warns against possible revision of government plans to build new nuclear power plant

YEREVAN, March 22. / ARKA /. Sevak Sarukhanian, a deputy head of Noravank think-tank, warned today against a possible revision of Armenian government’s plans to build a new nuclear power plant, saying it may lead to very negative and painful consequences.

After the powerful earthquake in Japan that crippled Fukushima plant., environmentalists have renewed their concerns about the safety of Armenia’s operating Metsamor nuclear power plant.

According to Sevak Sarukhanian, a strong information campaign may be staged against Armenia’s nuclear power plant on arguments that Armenia has sufficient thermal and hydro resources to generate enough power to meet its domestic needs and that it needs no new power plant.

Metsamor nuclear power plant, which produces currently 40 percent of power, was shut down for seven years after a massive 6.9-magnitude earthquake in 1988 that left 25,000 dead. The epicenter of the 1988 earthquake was 75 kilometers from Metsamor. Citing security concerns then government closed it, but a subsequent energy crisis in the mid-1990's made the government reopen the plant's second reactor.

‘Construction of a new plant is of key significance. In view of the fact that it is to be built by Russia and on Russian investments, it will be profitable and rejecting the project would bring about very painful consequences,’ he said.

He said the natural gas used by thermal power plants to generate electricity, comes through volatile North Caucasus and Georgia. As for Iranian gas, he said this country is facing the threat of U.S. military intervention and the Iran-Armenia natural gas pipeline’s stability depends on stability within Iran. He, however, agreed that construction of a more powerful nuclear station would ground to halt thermal power plants, but added that the authorities must seek markets to sell Armenian energy.

The Metsamor plant is located some 30 kilometers west of Yerevan. It was built in the 1970s but was closed following a devastating earthquake in 1988. One of its two VVER 440-V230 light-water reactors was reactivated in 1995. Armenian authorities said they will build a new nuclear power plant to replace the aging Metsamor plant. The new plant is supposed to operate at twice the capacity of the Soviet-constructed facility. Metsamor currently generates some 40 percent of Armenia's electricity. But the 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. 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. Last August Russia and Armenia signed an agreement on cooperation in nuclear energy sphere whereby Russia committed to assume 20% of all expenses, estimated at $1 billion approximately, to build a new reactor. The Armenian government will cover another 20% of expenses and the remaining part is supposed to come from investors. Experts say the plant may operate until 2016. -0-