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FEARS NOT EASED OVER ARMENIAN NUKE PLANT
Hurriyet Daily News
Dec 17 2012
Turkey
Armenia's Metsamor nuclear plant, situated in an earthquake zone
just 25 kilometers from the Turkish border, remains a great concern
for Turkey and Armenia's other neighbors, Turkish and U.N. atomic
officials said Dec. 15.
"The regions close to our eastern border are considered critical
locations, vulnerable to possible radiological consequences,
where urgent protective measures should be taken in the event of
an accident," Zafer Alper, president of the Turkish Atomic Energy
Authority (TAEK), told members of the international nuclear community
in Japan's Fukushima prefecture.
'Increase transparency'
Yukiya Amano, secretary-general of the International Atomic Energy
(IAEA), also said Metsamor's operator needed to increase transparency
in managing the aged facility.
The IAEA is not responsible for implementing regulations in any
country, Alper told the Hurriyet Daily News on the sidelines of the
event in Koriyama to discuss nuclear safety, adding that Azerbaijan
was also threatened by the plant. Armenia will postpone the closure
of the disputed facility for 10 years until 2023, Armenian Energy
Minister Armen Movsisyan announced late in October.
Responding to a Daily News question during a meeting, Amano said
neighbors were worried about nearby nuclear plants from time to time.
EU's stress programs
Amano, however, said Armenia was already beginning to cooperate on
the plant. "No one is perfect. It is important to improve the level
of safety and, for the neighboring country, the level of confidence."
Turkey, which is itself bidding to build nuclear plants to cut its
dependence on foreign energy, transformed TAEK's Emergency Preparedness
and Coordination Unit into the Disaster and Emergency Management
Center following the March 2011 Fukushima disaster, Alper said.
In addition to studies with the IAEA, Turkey has also voluntarily
agreed to join the European Union's stress test programs and performed
tests for the first plant in the southern province of Mersin, being
developed by Russia's Rosatom. Authorities are waiting for the results
- a fact that gives Turkey a chance to shape its plant in accordance
with requirements, he said.
December/17/2012
From: A. Papazian
Hurriyet Daily News
Dec 17 2012
Turkey
Armenia's Metsamor nuclear plant, situated in an earthquake zone
just 25 kilometers from the Turkish border, remains a great concern
for Turkey and Armenia's other neighbors, Turkish and U.N. atomic
officials said Dec. 15.
"The regions close to our eastern border are considered critical
locations, vulnerable to possible radiological consequences,
where urgent protective measures should be taken in the event of
an accident," Zafer Alper, president of the Turkish Atomic Energy
Authority (TAEK), told members of the international nuclear community
in Japan's Fukushima prefecture.
'Increase transparency'
Yukiya Amano, secretary-general of the International Atomic Energy
(IAEA), also said Metsamor's operator needed to increase transparency
in managing the aged facility.
The IAEA is not responsible for implementing regulations in any
country, Alper told the Hurriyet Daily News on the sidelines of the
event in Koriyama to discuss nuclear safety, adding that Azerbaijan
was also threatened by the plant. Armenia will postpone the closure
of the disputed facility for 10 years until 2023, Armenian Energy
Minister Armen Movsisyan announced late in October.
Responding to a Daily News question during a meeting, Amano said
neighbors were worried about nearby nuclear plants from time to time.
EU's stress programs
Amano, however, said Armenia was already beginning to cooperate on
the plant. "No one is perfect. It is important to improve the level
of safety and, for the neighboring country, the level of confidence."
Turkey, which is itself bidding to build nuclear plants to cut its
dependence on foreign energy, transformed TAEK's Emergency Preparedness
and Coordination Unit into the Disaster and Emergency Management
Center following the March 2011 Fukushima disaster, Alper said.
In addition to studies with the IAEA, Turkey has also voluntarily
agreed to join the European Union's stress test programs and performed
tests for the first plant in the southern province of Mersin, being
developed by Russia's Rosatom. Authorities are waiting for the results
- a fact that gives Turkey a chance to shape its plant in accordance
with requirements, he said.
December/17/2012
From: A. Papazian