Armenia to close current npp after building new power bloc : National Security Council head

YEREVAN, March 25. /ARKA/. Armenia will close its NPP as soon as the new power bloc is constructed, Artur Baghdasaryan, Chairman of Armenia’s National Security Council, told reporters on Saturday. 

“Only after the new and modern  power bloc is built, we will consider decommissioning of the old one, and the EU understands our position,” he said as he commented on EU requirement on sooner decommissioning of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant.

Last Thursday Traian Hristea, Head of EU Delegation to Armenia said The EU continues insisting on sooner decommissioning of the Armenian NPP. Nevertheless, in April 2012 Armenia’s government extended the plant’s exploitation term for another 10 years.

In fact, the Armenian authorities intend to build a new power plant at the place of the current Armenian NPP. As of now the construction of one 1000- MW power bloc is discussed.

“It is not related to sooner decommissioning. It is their (EU’s) wish which they regularly declare. Unless we are not provided with alternative power resources, we can’t do it,” he clarified. 

Baghdasaryan highlighted Armenia attaches great importance to ensuring safety on  the NPP, and IAEA experts are quite pleased with the safety level.

The current NPP of Armenia is located in Metsamor town, some 30 kilometers west of Yerevan. It  was built in the 1970s but was closed following a devastating earthquake in 1988 that killed some 25,000 people and devastated much of northern Armenia. One of the plant’s 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.  -0-