OLD NUCLEAR PLANT WILL WORK TILL NEW IS BUILT
Lragir, Armenia
Dec 22 2006
According to the Armenian minister of energy Armen Movsisyan, the
greatest achievement in 2006 is the conference on upgrading the
security of the nuclear plant of Metsamor and building a new nuclear
plant. Armen Movsisyan stated this in a news conference on December
22. The minister of energy said there are initial arrangements with
international organizations and donors on upgrading the security of
the nuclear plant. "Everyone accepts that only a new nuclear
generating unit complying with security regulations can be an equal
alternative to the nuclear plant of Metsamor in Armenia."
There is also agreement on technical and economic projects of the new
nuclear plant, which will be financed by the IAEA and the USAID. The
Armenian side realizes that we cannot afford to build a new atomic
plant, and adopted a law inviting private investors. Armen Movsisyan
says it takes 7-8, even 10 years to build an atomic plant. The scheme
of the minister of energy keeps up with the timing. The atomic plant
of Metsamor will operate until 2016, and Armen Movsisyan says the
project of the new atomic plant will take as much as two years. And
if the construction starts immediately after the project is ready, we
will have a new atomic plant in around 2016. The construction of a
new atomic plant will cost as much as 1 billion dollars.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
