ARMENIA REFUSES 200 MILLION EURO EU LOAN FOR SHUTTING ATOMIC PLANT
By Associated Press
Jerusalem Post
Sept 25 2007
Armenia will refuse a ~@200 million (US$282 million) loan from the
European Union to close its only atomic power plant, a government
official said Tuesday, reiterating that the country currently has no
other major source for electricity.
The impoverished former Soviet republic has been under persistent
pressure from the EU and others to shut down the aging Soviet-built
Medzamor reactor due to safety concerns.
Located about 30 kilometers (20 miles) west of the capital Yerevan, the
plant was taken out of operation after a devastating 1988 earthquake,
but returned to service in 1995 amid a severe energy shortage. It
currently supplies nearly 40 percent of the country’s power.