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Agence France Presse -- English
September 13, 2013 Friday 4:42 PM GMT
Armenia to extend life of ageing nuclear plant
YEREVAN, Sept 13 2013
Armenia said Friday it would extend the life of its ageing Metsamor
nuclear power plant, despite safety concerns over the Soviet-era
facility in an active seismic zone.
"The atomic power station will operate until 2026," Armenia's energy
minister Armen Movsisyan told journalists.
Earlier this month, President Serzh Sarkisian reached an agreement
with Russian state nuclear agency Rosatom to help keep the plant
running beyond its original closing date of 2016.
Last year, Armenia had postponed the plant's closure until 2020.
The European Union has repeatedly called for the plant to be closed
down, arguing that it poses a threat to the region.
Armenian authorities say that the plant has undergone considerable
renovations over the past decade and has been passed fit by the
International Atomic Energy Agency.
Built in the 1970s, the Metsamor plant is located in one of the most
earthquake-prone regions on the planet, some 30 kilometres (19 miles)
west of Yerevan.
The facility -- which provides the tiny Caucasus nation with around 40
percent of its power -- was closed for around seven years following a
devastating earthquake in 1988.
Movsisyan said that a new facility would be built over the next decade
to eventually replace the Metsamor plant.
From: A. Papazian
September 13, 2013 Friday 4:42 PM GMT
Armenia to extend life of ageing nuclear plant
YEREVAN, Sept 13 2013
Armenia said Friday it would extend the life of its ageing Metsamor
nuclear power plant, despite safety concerns over the Soviet-era
facility in an active seismic zone.
"The atomic power station will operate until 2026," Armenia's energy
minister Armen Movsisyan told journalists.
Earlier this month, President Serzh Sarkisian reached an agreement
with Russian state nuclear agency Rosatom to help keep the plant
running beyond its original closing date of 2016.
Last year, Armenia had postponed the plant's closure until 2020.
The European Union has repeatedly called for the plant to be closed
down, arguing that it poses a threat to the region.
Armenian authorities say that the plant has undergone considerable
renovations over the past decade and has been passed fit by the
International Atomic Energy Agency.
Built in the 1970s, the Metsamor plant is located in one of the most
earthquake-prone regions on the planet, some 30 kilometres (19 miles)
west of Yerevan.
The facility -- which provides the tiny Caucasus nation with around 40
percent of its power -- was closed for around seven years following a
devastating earthquake in 1988.
Movsisyan said that a new facility would be built over the next decade
to eventually replace the Metsamor plant.
From: A. Papazian