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BAKU: Expert: Economic problems to occur while constructing new ANPP

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  • BAKU: Expert: Economic problems to occur while constructing new ANPP

    Trend Daily News (Azerbaijan)
    June 16, 2011 Thursday 6:40 PM GMT +4


    Expert: Economic problems to occur while constructing new Armenian
    nuclear power plant

    Azerbaijan, Baku, June 16 / Trend E. Tariverdiyeva /

    There will be a number of economic problems while constructing a new
    Armenian nuclear power plant (NPP), scheduled for 2012-2013, a Russian
    source, an expert-nuclear scholar, who worked for 20 years in the
    nuclear field said.

    "The second operating unit of the Armenian NPP must be closed until
    2016," the expert told Trend.

    "According to the decision of the G8, more stringent test standards
    test must be established. They must apply to the Armenian NPP, and
    Russia supports the decision of G8."

    This decision was taken before the accident at "Fukushima-1", the
    first units of which were also old, he said. The Metsamor NPP was
    built in 1970.

    After the devastating Spitak earthquake the activity of this plant had
    been suspended, but in 1995, despite international protests, the work
    of the station was reactivated, and in addition, the second reactor
    was launched.

    Given the large number of minor earthquakes in the past 10 years in
    this area, a disaster would hurt the entire South Caucasus and the
    Middle East would be seriously affected.
    Several European countries have adopted a plan of abandoning nuclear
    energy amid the nuclear crisis in Japan, where a large-scale accident
    occurred at the nuclear power plant "Fukushima-1 after a devastating
    earthquake and tsunami on March 11.

    The accident at the nuclear power plant "Fukushima" in Japan can not
    lead to Armenia's denial from the project of building a new nuclear
    unit at the Armenian nuclear power plant, Minister of Energy and
    Natural Resources Armen Movsisyan said in an interview with
    "Interfax".

    "At present, Armenia has no alternative to building a new nuclear
    power station. It is planned to begin constructing in the second half
    of 2012-2013. The Minister expressed hope that a new nuclear power
    unit will be built by 2017.

    It was earlier reported that in late April, Chairman of the State
    Committee on Nuclear Safety Regulation under the Armenian government
    Ashot Martirosyan said that the construction project of a new nuclear
    power was temporarily frozen. "All the issues relating to the
    construction of a new nuclear power plant in Armenia were temporarily
    frozen," he said.

    The expert said that the security requirements are also tightened to
    build a new nuclear power plant.

    The Russian design standards correspond to the highest international
    standards. Of course, all the necessary procedures must be carried out
    and have a positive result when making decisions about the
    construction, the expert said.

    "I think that this problem can be reasonably resolved, but there is an
    economic problem," he said.
    A source said that it is necessary to build two units of the nuclear
    power plant for reliable energy supply.

    "One should periodically stop the stations for prophylactic repair.
    However, the power of almost 2.5 GW is clearly abundant for Armenia.
    About 1.5 GW of installed capacity would be sufficient even in the
    long-term-prospect. I do not know whether the opportunity of selling
    excess electricity were calculated."

    Of course, there is an open question who can act as a guarantor on the
    possible nuclear damage, the expert said.

    "A joint campaign and Armenia are unlikely to be such a guarantee," he
    said. "Russia? But it is not clear whether there is a document
    obliging it to do it."

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