Armenia undecided on closure of nuclear plant – minister

Mediamax news agency
8 Jun 04

Yerevan, 8 June: Armenia will not name the precise date for the
closure of the Armenian Nuclear Power Station until all technical
and financial issues are clarified, Armenian Minister of Trade and
Economic Development Karen Chshmarityan said in Yerevan today.

He said this issue was discussed during the fifth session of the
Armenia-EU cooperation committee in Brussels on 4 June. The minister
stressed that representatives of the European Union expressed their
readiness again to allocate 100m euros to Armenia if a decision is
made to close down the Nuclear Power Station.

Karen Chshmarityan stated that the closure of the Nuclear Power Station
is a complicated process linked to technical difficulties. The minister
pointed out that according to preliminary estimations, 1bn dollars will
be required for providing Armenia with alternative sources of energy.