Pan Armenian News

KOCHARIAN: `I DO NOT RULE OUT OPPORTUNITY OF BUILDING NEW NUCLEAR PLANT IN
ARMENIA’

12.04.2005 02:42

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ `I do not rule out the opportunity of building a new
nuclear power plant in Armenia,’ Armenian President Robert Kocharianstated
when addressing the students and the professors of Yerevan State University,
Regnum news agency reported. When answering a question of a YSU student
about the measures being taken by the Armenian authorities to provide for
the energy security of the republic, Mr. Kocharian said, `speaking of the
Armenian Nuclear Power Plant one should remember the faces of those people,
who in their time stopped the ANPP – there could have not been a greater
damage to Armenia: dark days, energy and economic crisis were not the
consequences of the war in Karabakh, but the closing of the ANPP,’ the
President emphasized. In his words, today the Government of Armenia
considers the prospects of alternative or restorable energy. `There is a
large program on the building of a hydroelectric power station on the Arax
river available (according to certain data, the Armenian-Iranian program
cost is $90), there are 70 programs on the building of small hydroelectric
power plants, some 24 out of which are already at the stage of realization.
At the next yearend the program of reconstruction of the Yerevan
heat-electric generating plant (being implemented by means of a credit of
the Japanese Government of $150.2 million) will begin. With the support of
the World Bank serious hydrothermal energy research is held in the region of
Sisian town, which can evolve into an investment program,’ the President
noted, adding that the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline, the building of which
started this month, contributes to the enhancement of the energy security of
Armenia. It should be reminded that being composed of two energy blocks of
815MW, the ANPP is built in 1976, however it was closed in 1988, which
caused acute energy crisis. The second block of the station having the
capacity of 407.5 MW resumed work in 1995. The EU insists on closing the
station, suggesting 1 million euros financing. However, the representatives
of the Armenian Government state that the creation of alternative energy
sources will cost no less than $1 billion. At present the ANPP is managed by
Inter RAO EES CJSC, which is a branch structure of RAO EES of Russia.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress