European Union Increases Pressure On Armenia To Shut Down Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant

ISTANBUL (CIHAN) - The European Union has increased its pressure on Armenia to shut down the Metsamor nuclear power plant. The Armenian Power Station uses antiquated Soviet technology, is built on a fault line and is very close to the Turkish border.
European Commissioner Janez Potocnik, who is preparing a report in the realm of the Project on European Enlargement and New Neighbors Initiative, paid a visit to the Armenian capital Yerevan as part of a round of visits to Southern Caucasian countries. Potocnik said in Yerevan on Friday that the Metsamor nuclear power plant should be shut down and that the European Union was ready to give 100 million euro in aid to Armenia in order to facilitate the shutting down of the plant.
The Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) was shut down in March 1989 by the Soviet Union because of safety fears following the devastating earthquake that struck Armenia in December 1988. However, faced with a deepening energy crisis due to the country's lack of fossil fuels, Armenia decided to resume operations at the 440-MW/second unit on November 5, 1995. The plant, which was built in 1980 with an intended life of 30 years, now supplies around 30% of Armenia's electricity.
Since the Metsamor NPP was inactive for six years, Armenian and Russian nuclear officials believe that the lone reactor functioning at the plant could operate up to 2016. The European Union, however, is pressuring Armenia to shut the plant sooner than this, since it considers Metsamor to be a safety risk due to flaws in the plant's Soviet-designed reactors and due to the region's seismic activity. The EU has suggested the plant be shut down by 2004, and has pledged financial support to facilitate its closure. The G-7 countries, the World Bank, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the European Union are exerting pressure on Armenia to close the nuclear power plant. However, the Armenian state is working to extend the operation of the nuclear power plant until 2016.
According to the reports of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the power plant is old and is situated on one of the most active fault lines in the world.
The power plant is about 10 kilometers away from the Turkish border and is 70 kilometers away from Armenia's capital, Yerevan, 16 kilometers away from the Turkish city of Igdýr and 60 kilometers away from the Turkish city of Kars.