ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
July 1, 2004 Thursday

One killed, 7 injured in explosion at Armenian power station

By Tigran Liloyan

YEREVAN

A worker was killed and seven others received injuries when a tank
holding sulfuric acid exploded on Wednesday at an Armenian power
station.

One of the injured workers is in critical condition, a spokesman for
the Armenian department for emergency situations told Itar-Tass on
Thursday. Despite the accident, the Razdan power plant, the biggest
in Armenia, keeps operating in a routine regime, Nikolai Grigoryan
said.

The power station accounts for over 20 percent of electricity
produced in Armenia. The station was under construction for ten years
and was commissioned in 1976. In 2002, an agreement was signed under
which a block of shares of the Razdan power plant goes to Russia to
settle part of Armenia’s debt to Russia.

The power plant worth 31 million dollars is now governed by the
International Energy Corporation, which makes part of the Unified
Energy Systems of Russia power utility.