EU, US to help Armenian nuclear plant step up security

Arminfo
18 Apr 05

Yerevan, 18 April: The Armenian Nuclear Power Plant will be suspended
for planned repairs and refuelling on 15 September 2005, the general
director of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant closed-type joint-stock
company, Gagik Markosyan, has told Arminfo.

The plant will stay idle for 45 days, he said. The European Union
will allocate 4m euros for a project on enhancing security at the
plant. The funds will be used to set up the first ever automated
system of chemical control at the plant and on some other measures.
Significant work will also be carried out in cooperation with the US
Energy Department towards stepping up security at the plant, while
Russia has undertaken to provide it with the necessary volumes of fuel.

In 2004, the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant increased power generation
by 26 per cent and its output totalled 2.4bn kWh. Power production at
the plant is planned to be 2.528bn kWh in 2005, which will be possible
by reducing the time of the plant’s suspension from the routine 65
days to 45 days. The Armenian nuclear plant consists of two energy
units with the 400 MW capacity each.

[Passage omitted: background]

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress