ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT STEADFAST IN ITS DETERMINATION TO CONSTRUCT ANOTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
June 26 2007

YEREVAN, June 26. /ARKA/. Armenian government remains steadfast in its
determination to construct the second nuclear power plant, Armenian
Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan said Tuesday in National Assembly.

In his words, although neither financial sources nor technologies
are clear so far, the government wants to build another nuclear
power plant.

Earlier, Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsisyan said that Armenia
plans to construct a new 1000-megawatt block in Armenian Nuclear
Power Plant. The project, he said, will cost about $1bln.

To attract money from the outside, Armenian Parliament abolished
state monopoly on new nuclear blocks ownership.

Armenian Nuclear Power Plant was put into exploitation in 1976. Now
only the second block (407.5 megawatt) is operating.

The plant generates more than 40% of the country’s electric power.

Specialists say the plant can operate until 2016.