ArmInfo. Armenia will act in accordance with its interests in the energy sector. Sargis Khandanyan, head of the Armenian Parliament's Standing Committee on Foreign Relations, stated in a conversation with reporters on October 3.
Let us recall that the Turkish Parliament, yesterday, on October 2, appealed to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) with a demand to take measures to close the nuclear power plant operating in Armenia. The country's legislative body noted that the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) is located just 16 kilometers from the border with Turkey. The Turkish Foreign Ministry, in turn, indicates that the ANPP is "a risk factor for the entire region." Let us also recall that on March 2 of this year, receiving IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi in Baku, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that the nuclear power plant operating in Armenia poses a "great nuclear threat" to Azerbaijan, Turkey, Armenia and the entire region.
"If I'm not mistaken, such demands have been received in the past as well," Khandanyan emphasized. He recalled that the whole world is now moving to nuclear energy, given the problem with hydrocarbon resources.
It should be noted that on September 14, the Government of Armenia approved the Program for extending the operation life of power unit N-2 of Armenian Nuclear Power Plant CJSC and the Plan for organizing and implementing the activities provided for in the plan. "Taking into account the modernization work already carried out, as well as the opinions of specialized organizations and international experience in extending the operation life of similar power units, it is planned that through additional investments/work it will be possible to extend the design life of the power unit by another 10 years - from 2026 to 2036," the document says. It is reported that the work is planned to be carried out at the expense of loan funds provided by CJSC (the amount is not specified), which in turn may entail an increase or decrease in expenses and revenues of the state budget of the Republic of Armenia.
