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AZERBAIJAN, GEORGIA CONCERNED ABOUT SAFETY OF ARMENIA'S NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
Xinhua General News Service
March 15, 2011 Tuesday 1:16 AM EST
Nuclear specialists in Azerbaijan and Georgia on Tuesday aired
concerns about the safety of the Metsamor nuclear power plant in
their neighboring country of Armenia in the wake of the Fukushima
nuclear emergency in Japan.
Adil Garibov, director of the radiation problems institute under the
Azerbaijani National Academy of Sciences, said that the functioning
of the Metsamor plant is dangerous for the region.
The specialist made the comment while referring to the Fukushima
emergency in Japan.
"As an expert, I can say that it is time to stop the operation of this
reactor," said Adil Garibov, "According to the UN relevant conventions,
the use of harmful and hazardous technologies must be evaluated by
neighboring countries.
"The term of operation of the reactor was completed in 2001. During
former IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei's visit to Azerbaijan in 2002,
Heydar Aliyev (former president of Azerbaijan) raised this issue
and said that this atomic power station must stop working as it uses
old technologies."
In Tbilisi, capital of Georgia, another nuclear specialist also
aired concerns by saying that the Armenian nuclear power plant would
constitute a real threat to the South Caucasus region should there
be a major earthquake in the country.
Gia Arabidze, dean of the energy and telecommunication faculty of
the Technical University of Georgia, made the comment on Tuesday.
Known as Metsamor, the Armenian nuclear power plant was closed down in
1988 due to that year's 7.2-magnitude earthquake in the country. It
was re-opened in 1993 due to an acute electricity shortage. One of
the two Metsamor reactors was re-commissioned to operation to generate
up to 40 percent of Armenia's electricity now.
The authorities of Armenia formally agreed in 2007 to close down the
Metsamor nuclear power plant after several years of pressure from
the European Union and the United States.
The European Union reportedly classified the Metsamor reactors as the
"oldest and least reliable" reactors among all the 66 Soviet reactors
built in Eastern Europe in the former Soviet republics.
The Metsamor nuclear power plant uses the light water-cooled reactors
built in 1976.
However, nuclear energy authorities of Armenia on Tuesday assured
the public that the country's nuclear power plant is operating in
normal exploitation regime and therefore constitutes no threat to
the country or to the region.
Ashot Martirosyan, chief of the Armenian state committee for nuclear
security, told local media that there is no need for additional
safety control in that the emergency situation at the Fukushima
nuclear power plant in Japan had already made Armenian specialists
more careful and attentive to the country's own nuclear power plant.
Apart from the routine observations by Russian, European and American
experts, according to Ashot Martirosyan, the IAEA will send German
experts in April to check against the Armenian nuclear power plant.
From: A. Papazian
Xinhua General News Service
March 15, 2011 Tuesday 1:16 AM EST
Nuclear specialists in Azerbaijan and Georgia on Tuesday aired
concerns about the safety of the Metsamor nuclear power plant in
their neighboring country of Armenia in the wake of the Fukushima
nuclear emergency in Japan.
Adil Garibov, director of the radiation problems institute under the
Azerbaijani National Academy of Sciences, said that the functioning
of the Metsamor plant is dangerous for the region.
The specialist made the comment while referring to the Fukushima
emergency in Japan.
"As an expert, I can say that it is time to stop the operation of this
reactor," said Adil Garibov, "According to the UN relevant conventions,
the use of harmful and hazardous technologies must be evaluated by
neighboring countries.
"The term of operation of the reactor was completed in 2001. During
former IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei's visit to Azerbaijan in 2002,
Heydar Aliyev (former president of Azerbaijan) raised this issue
and said that this atomic power station must stop working as it uses
old technologies."
In Tbilisi, capital of Georgia, another nuclear specialist also
aired concerns by saying that the Armenian nuclear power plant would
constitute a real threat to the South Caucasus region should there
be a major earthquake in the country.
Gia Arabidze, dean of the energy and telecommunication faculty of
the Technical University of Georgia, made the comment on Tuesday.
Known as Metsamor, the Armenian nuclear power plant was closed down in
1988 due to that year's 7.2-magnitude earthquake in the country. It
was re-opened in 1993 due to an acute electricity shortage. One of
the two Metsamor reactors was re-commissioned to operation to generate
up to 40 percent of Armenia's electricity now.
The authorities of Armenia formally agreed in 2007 to close down the
Metsamor nuclear power plant after several years of pressure from
the European Union and the United States.
The European Union reportedly classified the Metsamor reactors as the
"oldest and least reliable" reactors among all the 66 Soviet reactors
built in Eastern Europe in the former Soviet republics.
The Metsamor nuclear power plant uses the light water-cooled reactors
built in 1976.
However, nuclear energy authorities of Armenia on Tuesday assured
the public that the country's nuclear power plant is operating in
normal exploitation regime and therefore constitutes no threat to
the country or to the region.
Ashot Martirosyan, chief of the Armenian state committee for nuclear
security, told local media that there is no need for additional
safety control in that the emergency situation at the Fukushima
nuclear power plant in Japan had already made Armenian specialists
more careful and attentive to the country's own nuclear power plant.
Apart from the routine observations by Russian, European and American
experts, according to Ashot Martirosyan, the IAEA will send German
experts in April to check against the Armenian nuclear power plant.
From: A. Papazian