Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant

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Data
Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant
Metsamor NPP Մեծամոր ատոմակայան
Country	Armenia
Operator	Inter RAO UES
Built	1973
Start of commercial operation	October 6, 1979
Reactors
Reactors active	1 (408 MW)
Reactors shut down	1 (408 MW)
Power
Capacity	MW
Total power generation in 2006	2.504 GWh
Average annual generation (last 5 yrs)	2,422 GWh
Net generation	69,463 GWh
Other details
As of April 22, 2007

The Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant (Armenian: Մեծամոր ատոմակայան), also known as Oktemberyan or Medzamor, was built during the 1970s, about thirty kilometres west of the Armenian capital of Yerevan. The plant was constructed with two VVER-440 Model V230 nuclear reactors^[1], and the technology used at the time is no longer acceptable by modern safety standards.^[2] The power plant produces about 40% of Armenia's electricity. It was closed due to the 1988 earthquake in Armenia. However, blockades by Turkey and Azerbaijan, which created energy shortages in Armenia, caused the Armenian government to decide to reopen the plant in 1993. The Unit 2 reactor was brought back into operation on October 26, 1995^[3]. The resources of the working Armenian nuclear power plant will be exhausted by 2016, thus Armenia is currently discussing the issue of constructing a new nuclear power plant of 1,000 MW, with a projected cost of $1.5 billion dollars.

The plant has been operated by Russian company Inter RAO UES, a joint subsidiary of RAO UES and Rosenergoatom since 2003, as part of a five year term to help pay off Armenia's debts.

[edit] Recent Developments

Hakob Sanasaryan, an Armenian chemist and environmentalist campaigner and head of the Green Union of Armenia, claimed in 2003 that the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant did not meet internationally accepted nuclear safety standards, due to the lack of a containment vessel. ^[4]

However, on April 23, 2007 the director of Russia's Federal Agency for Atomic Energy (Rosatom) Sergei Kiriyenko, met with Armenia's Energy Minister Armen Movsisyan and Ecology Minister, Vardan Ayvazyan, where the Russian side indicated Moscow's willingness to help Armenia build a new nuclear power plant, in the event that Armenian officials opted to head in that direction. This statement was followed by former President Robert Kocharyan's speech given to Yerevan State University students on April 27, 2007 during which he said that serious work on the fate of Armenia's atomic energy is underway and practical steps will be taken in this direction in 2008-2009. The president considered it desirable to construct a new nuclear power plant based on the existing infrastructures and new technologies. However, in his words, it is necessary to determine the amount needed and examine what impact it will have on rates. Robert Kocharyan said that in 2012-2013, active work will be carried out to build a new nuclear power plant and modernize the current one.

Armen Movsisyan has also announced that a decision to build a new unit at the operating nuclear power plant to replace the one to be decommissioned has been taken. The new unit would support 1,000 MW, which would "not only meet the needs of Armenia and reduce the country’s dependence on organic energy [gas, oil, etc.] considerably, but will also have certain energy importance in the region."^[5] The development of a feasibility study for building a new reactor at the Metsamor nuclear power plant is underway with the assistance of foreign specialists. This work is expected to be completed within 1-2 years.

The United States has backed plans for a new Armenian Nuclear Plant and has pledged to help the Armenian government conduct feasibility studies needed for the implementation of the multimillion-dollar project.^[6]

On November 29, 2007 the Armenian government approved a plan to shut down the nuclear power plant, but gave no specific date. According to Energy Minister Armen Movsisyan, the shutdown could cost up to $280 million. While the former President Robert Kocharyan said that building a new, 1,000-megawatt plant, double that of Medzamor, would cost more than $3 billion. ^[7]