PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA: ABOUT US $90 MILLION WERE DIRECTED FOR SAFETY ENHANCEMENT OF ARMENIAN NPP SINCE ITS RESTART
ArmInfo
2008-12-02 16:19:00
ArmInfo. About US $90 mln were directed for safety enhancement of
the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant [ANPP] since restart of its second
power unit in early 1995, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan said
at today’s 10th session of the Nuclear Power Security Council.
Armenian president expressed gratitude to all the countries which
assisted in enhancement of safety of the Armenian NPP’s operating
unit since its recommissioning. ‘Armenia is satisfied by the fact that
ANNP’s safety level meets all the international standards’, S. Sargsyan
said. According to him, the work of the nuclear power pecialists is
an example of purposeful application of deep professional knowledge
and of impersonal serving to their professional duty. ‘The work you
do in the area of safety and operation of the Armenian NPP assures
maintenance of the country’s security at a high level’, S. Sargsyan
said and recalled that the Council was set in 1996. Many eminent
foreign specialists were attracted to its operation over this time.
‘In general, the sphere of energy security and nuclear safety,
in particular, has always been one of the priorities both for the
country’s president and the government’, S. Sargsyan said. He
added that some changes took place in the Council’s staff over
this period. In particular, deputy Director of the State Nuclear
Energy Corporation Alexander Lapshin was included in its staff. The
Nuclear Energy Security Council plays an important part in the area of
Armenia’s energy security. The remarks, proposals and recommendations,
developed by the Council, have always been a subject of thorough
analysis. Many of them were implemented. In particular, the Nuclear
Regulatory Authority was reorganized into a State Nuclear Safety
Regulatory Committee under the Armenian government. A package of
proposals on revision of the list of technical measures for enhancement
of safety of ANPP’s second unit based on the safety analysis report
played an essential part. ‘We highly appreciate the activity of IAEA on
coordination of the different international technical assistance. In
particular, it aims at implementation of the points of the list of
technical measures on enhancement of safety of the Armenian NPP’s
second power unit’, S. Sargsyan said. He recalled that the third
working session on this topic was held jointly with IAEA and the
Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of Armenia in September,
2008, in Yerevan.