IAEA OKAYED CONSTRUCTION OF NUCLEAR RESEARCH REACTOR IN AZERBAIJAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
02.10.2007 12:17 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In mid-December the Azeri delegation will head for
Vienna to discuss the construction stages.

Mahmoud Kerimov, president of the Azerbaijani national academy of
sciences, told reporters that the reactor with 1-megawatt capacity
will be built somewhere between Baku and Sumgait.

Baku made the proposal during an IAEA session in Vienna, according
to him.

"The proposal was welcomed. Moreover, the Agency will finance the
construction scheduled for 2009-2011," he added.

"Energy knows no alternative to nuclear power plants.

Many states made a shift in their policy and engaged in competition
for building such plants. However, Azerbaijan doesn’t plan construction
of a nuclear power plant in the near future," Kerimov said.

Local experts say hydrocarbon supplies in Azerbaijan will exhaust by
2020-2025. Hence, construction of a nuclear power plant can become
a dire necessity for the republic. Furthermore, Azerbaijan’s energy
potential is incapable to satisfy the needs of developing economy,
Nezavisimaya Gazeta reports.