ARMENIA TO LAUNCH CONSTRUCTION ON NEW NPP IN 2012-2013 – KOCHARIAN

Interfax, Russia
April 27 2007

YEREVAN. April 27 – Armenia will either launch construction on a new
nuclear power plant in 2012-2013 or modernize its existing plant,
Armenian President Robert Kocharian said.

"We are currently carrying out serious expert work and I can say for
sure that either practical work on the construction of a new nuclear
power plant will begin in Armenia in 2012-2013, or upgrades will be
made to the existing nuclear power plant," he said on Friday at a
meeting at Yerevan State University.

Kocharian said experts are currently considering two key issues: how
much it would cost to build a new nuclear power plant that complies
with all the newest technologies and what changes in electricity prices
would occur as a result. "Certainly, ordinary citizens shouldn’t
suffer, but at the same time it’s clear that Armenia should have
nuclear energy," he said. Armenia has one nuclear power plant, which
has been transferred to Russian management. The plant’s service life
expires in 2016.