RUSSIA TO CONTINUE MANAGING ARMENIA POWER PLANT
By M. Alkhazashvili

The Messenger
May 22 2008
Georgia

Russian company INTER RAO UES will continue managing the Metsamor
nuclear power station in Armenia after its initial contract expires
later this year, according to company officials.

Since 2003 Metsamor has been operated by Unified Energy Systems,
part of INTER RAO UES, in a five-year arrangement to help Armenia
pay off its USD 40 million debt to Russia for providing uranium.

Head of the INTER RAO board of directors Andrey Rapoport said that the
company plans to build a new power plant to replace the Soviet-built
Metsamor plant, which supplies the country with around 40 percent of
its electricity supply.

Armenia is under pressure from the EU to shut down Metsamor due to
safety concerns over its lack of a containment system to deal with
potential radioactive leaks.

Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsesyan has said that if a new plant
is built Metsamor can be shut down before it is due to in 2016.