PRESIDENT SARGSYAN RECEIVES CHIEF OF ROSATOM STATE CORPORATION SERGEI KIRIENKO

/ARKA/
October 26, 2009
YEREVAN

President Serzh Sargsyan received last Friday the Executive Director
of the Russian Rosatom state corporation Sergei Kirienko.

The two sides discussed issues related to the Armenian-Russian
cooperation in the area of atomic energy, the presidential press
office reported. They noted that all the agreements reached during
the September 2008 meeting in Yerevan were being implemented. Serzh
Sargsyan expressed satisfaction with the high level of relations with
the Russian Federation.

President Sargsyan and Sergei Kirienko hailed the advanced level of
cooperation in the area of atomic energy and programs aimed at its
further deepening and expressed confidence that the implementation
of the ongoing projects would allow Armenia to strengthen its role
as an energy exporting country.

Speaking about the Armenian nuclear power station, the Director of
Rosatom noted that it is in an excellent condition; all the security
and safe functioning measures are being observed.

The parties discussed also steps being taken for the construction of
the power station’s new block, geological explorations of the uranium
mines, and spoke about the programs envisaged for the next year.

Armenian authorities said they will build a new nuclear power plant
to replace the 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.

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.