Armenia to close only nuclear plant by 2016: deputy minister

.c The Associated Press

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) – Armenia plans to close its only nuclear power
plant, which supplies nearly 40 percent of the country’s power, by
2016, Deputy Energy Minister Areg Galstyan said on Friday.

By this date, the impoverished Caucasus state aims to have developed
alternative electricity sources, he told reporters. However, the
deputy minister said that Armenia wanted to preserve its nuclear power
industry as it had experts in the sector and infrastructure.

The former Soviet republic has been under international pressure from
the European Union and others to shut the plant down due to safety
concerns; it was taken out of operation after a devastating 1988
earthquake.

In 1995, it returned to service amid a severe energy shortage. Armenia
has since resisted shutting down the plant, which has one working
Soviet-made reactor, fearing that alternative sources of power may be
hard to come by.

Armenian officials say the European Union is ready to provide up to
euro100 million (US$120 million) for Yerevan to close the plant.
However, building a new nuclear power plant could cost up to US$1
billion (euro1.2 billion), Armenian officials say.

06/24/05 15:09 EDT

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress