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Interfax, Russia
Sept 13 2013
Armenia to sell Russia defective cassettes with fresh nuclear fuel
YEREVAN. Sept 13
Armenia will sell Russia seven cassettes with fresh nuclear fuel that
have technical defects, Armenian Energy and Natural Resources Minister
Armen Movsisyan said at a government meeting on Friday.
He said three of these cassettes were delivered to the Armenian
Nuclear Power Plant in 1979 and four were delivered in 1987. But they
could not be used due to the defects. Storing the cassettes at the NPP
is problematic because they cannot be transferred to the spent nuclear
fuel repository.
"We tried repeatedly to return the cassettes to the manufacturer, but
did not get agreement. And only now we received agreement from the
Russian side to accept the cassettes for a certain sum," Movsisian
said.
Armenia has agreed to sell the nuclear materials to Russia for $5,000
per kilogram, he said.
The minister said that a plane would arrive in Armenia on Sunday with
fresh nuclear fuel for the Armenian NPP, and will then return the
seven cassettes to the manufacturer.
In order to sell the cassettes, the government decided on Friday to
grant state company CJSC Armenia NPP a license to export nuclear
materials.
Analysts estimate the Armenian NPP uses 90-100 nuclear fuel cassettes
per year that are bought from Russian nuclear fuel company TVEL.
The Armenian NPP has two Russian-designed VVER-440generating units
combined capacity of 815 MW. The first reactor came on line in 1876
and the second in 1980. The plant was mothballed in 1989 for political
reasons, but in early 1995 the country brought the second unit, with
capacity of 404 MW, back on line and it is the only one now operating.
The NPP generates about 45% of Armenia's electricity.
Vp of
From: Baghdasarian
Sept 13 2013
Armenia to sell Russia defective cassettes with fresh nuclear fuel
YEREVAN. Sept 13
Armenia will sell Russia seven cassettes with fresh nuclear fuel that
have technical defects, Armenian Energy and Natural Resources Minister
Armen Movsisyan said at a government meeting on Friday.
He said three of these cassettes were delivered to the Armenian
Nuclear Power Plant in 1979 and four were delivered in 1987. But they
could not be used due to the defects. Storing the cassettes at the NPP
is problematic because they cannot be transferred to the spent nuclear
fuel repository.
"We tried repeatedly to return the cassettes to the manufacturer, but
did not get agreement. And only now we received agreement from the
Russian side to accept the cassettes for a certain sum," Movsisian
said.
Armenia has agreed to sell the nuclear materials to Russia for $5,000
per kilogram, he said.
The minister said that a plane would arrive in Armenia on Sunday with
fresh nuclear fuel for the Armenian NPP, and will then return the
seven cassettes to the manufacturer.
In order to sell the cassettes, the government decided on Friday to
grant state company CJSC Armenia NPP a license to export nuclear
materials.
Analysts estimate the Armenian NPP uses 90-100 nuclear fuel cassettes
per year that are bought from Russian nuclear fuel company TVEL.
The Armenian NPP has two Russian-designed VVER-440generating units
combined capacity of 815 MW. The first reactor came on line in 1876
and the second in 1980. The plant was mothballed in 1989 for political
reasons, but in early 1995 the country brought the second unit, with
capacity of 404 MW, back on line and it is the only one now operating.
The NPP generates about 45% of Armenia's electricity.
Vp of
From: Baghdasarian