Azerbaijan continues attempts to "hit" Armenian nuclear power plant

ArmInfo. Azerbaijan is not giving up attempts to "hit" one of the most painful areas of the Armenian energy sector - the Armenian nuclear power plant, which provides a third of all electricity produced in the country at the lowest tariff.

"We have repeatedly appealed to various organizations and  international institutions regarding the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant  (NPP), the termination of its service life, as well as the fact that  it is already in an unusable state, and we have voiced opinions about  it at events," Mirhasan Hasanov, Chairman of the Public Union  "Chernobyl Disabled People's Union of the Republic of Azerbaijan",  told APA while commenting on the open letter addressed to the  leadership of the Nuclear Energy Summit by representatives of the  civil society of Azerbaijan.

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, who visited the Armenian  NPP in October 2022, appreciated the safety improvement work at the  NPP. 

"Armenia's economy relies on Metsamor NPP, and IAEA will continue to  offer support, to help the plant provide low-carbon energy safely and  securely. Pleased to see the safety and security improvements made to  Metsamor and impressed with the commitment of its dedicated staff,"  he tweeted. 

The Armenian NPP has launched a second program to extend its  operation life by another 10 years - until 2036, for the  implementation of which the RA government allocated $65 million. One  of the most important components of the new program will be an even  greater increase in the safety level of the plant.

The Nuclear Energy Summit took place in Brussels yesterday. It is an  expert conference with the participation of ministers, members and  heads of government of Western countries, as well as Armenia, China,  Serbia, South Korea and Japan. The main goal of the summit is to  promote nuclear energy as consistent with the EU's green agenda. This  should provide opportunities for state and European financing of  classic nuclear power plants and the development of new modular  nuclear reactors in conditions where it has become clear that a  complete green transition in the energy sector is impossible in the  next decade.