ARMENIAN MINISTER SAYS ONLY HIS COUNTRY CAPABLE OF USING NUCLEAR POWER
By M. Alkhazashvili
(Translated by Diana Dundua)
The Messenger, Georgia
Dec 24 2007
On December 22, Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsisyan said that the
international community would oppose any Georgian or Azerbaijani bid to
construct a nuclear power station, according to the news agency Regnum.
Armenia’s regional neighbors do not have the experience needed to
build and maintain a nuclear reactor, Movsisyan said, adding that
only Armenia, which has operated the Metsamor nuclear power plant
since the 1970s, is capable of safely using nuclear energy.
"The international community has a loyal relationship towards the
building of a new nuclear power station in Armenia," Movsisyan
concluded.
Yerevan is decommissioning the aging Metsamor station at an estimated
cost of USD 345 million, Regnum reports. The Armenian government is
now looking to build a new nuclear power plant, with a projected cost
of USD 2 billion.