NEW NUCLEAR POWER PLANT TO BE BUILT IN ARMENIA BY 2016

AZG Armenian Daily
20/03/2008

Energy

During a round-table discussion, dedicated to Dr. Gerd Rosenkratz’s
"Nuclear Energy. Facts and Fiction" book, Deputy-Minister for Power
Engineering of Armenia Areg Galstian told the reporters that Russia,
the USA and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) not only
approve the construction of a new nuclear power plant in Armenia, but
are also working out a strategy of preferential deliveries of nuclear
fuel to the country, which will help develop Armenia’s nuclear power
engineering more actively,

According to the Deputy-Minister, the feasibility study of the new
NPP in Armenia will be completed by September-October 2008. He
also reminded that the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) is to
be shut down by 2016; therefore the new one is to be ready before
that. "Economic estimations show that there is no alternative to
the nuclear power engineering in Armenia. Estimations on creation
of alternative generation sources have been made over the past 8
years. For this purpose, well-known foreign firms were involved in
the process, however, their estimations showed that the most optimal
variant is developing of the nuclear power engineering", Galstian said.

At present the Metsamor NPP generates 45% of total electricity in
Armenia. Armenia and Russia have already set up a joint venture for
prospecting of uranium in Armenian territory. Earlier Armenia ratified
an agreement on active participation in the work of the international
uranium enrichment center in Angarsk. The participation in this project
will help Armenia not only to supply its NPP with fuel but also to
export uranium (provided that the present prospecting expedition finds
sufficient uranium resources). Armenia’s total uranium resources are
estimated at 60,000 tons. Experts say that the construction of a new
1,000 MW NPP will cost $1.5bln.