EXPERT SPEAKS AGAINST BUILDING NEW ATOMIC POWER PLANT IN METSAMOR

ARKA
Oct 6, 2009

YEREVAN, October 6, /ARKA/. Professor Georgy Galechian from the
Institute of Applied Physics’ Problems, an affiliation of the Armenian
National Academy of Sciences, warned today the authorities against
building a new Armenian power plant next to the operating reactor in
Metsamor, adding also that the new reactor must not be built in Lake
Sevan basin.

He was speaking at the 4-th international conference on renewable and
clean sources of energy in Yerevan organized by the Armenian Public
Council on Renewable Energy in cooperation with the UNDP Global
Climate Change program, USAID and German KfW Bank.

Armenian authorities said they will build a new nuclear power plant to
replace its aging Metsamor plant. The new plant will operate at twice
the capacity of the older, Soviet-constructed facility, which is 30
kilometers west of the capital, Yerevan. Metsamor currently generates
some 40 percent of Armenia’s electricity. Australian company Worley
Parsons has been selected to manage the project.

Georgy Galechian said construction of the new reactor close to the
old plant is not expedient. He recalled that still under the Soviets
many experts had warned against its construction in Ararat Valley
because of its complicated hydro-geological, engineering and seismic
conditions and high population density.

Citing many other countries which have shifted to production of sola
r, bio, wind energy Georgy Galechian argued in favor of developing
renewable alternative sources of energy in Armenia.

Potential investors, however, would like the new plant to be built
near the old one as this option would significantly cut the expenses
on creation of new infrastructure.

"Construction of a new reactor in Ararat Valley will pose a serious
threat to Armenian ecology and its national security. If the Armenian
government is determined to build a new reactor it must not build it
in the Ararat Valley neither in Lake Sevan basin,’ Georgy Galechian
said, adding that construction of a new atomic power plant will slow
down development of modern alterative sources of energy.

The Sydney-based Worley Parsons engineering company will be managing
construction of a new nuclear power station that should replace
Armenia’s aging Metsamor plant by 2017. With a market capitalization
of approximately $3 billion as of June 2008, Worley Parsons was one of
the world’s largest providers of engineering services to the energy and
other industries. The company has operating offices in 14 countries,
including Russia.

The Armenian government has yet to attract funding for the project
that was estimated by a U.S.-funded feasibility study to cost at as
much as $5 billion.

With a projected capacity of 1,000-1,200 megawatts, the new facility
would be more than twice as powerful as Metsamor’s sole o perating
reactor that generates more than 40% of Armenia’s electricity.