ArmInfo. Turkey and Great Britain have coordinatedly stepped up information attacks against the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) located in Metsamor. This was written about by energy security expert Vahe Davtyan in his Telegram channel.
The expert noted that recently the Turkish TV channel NTV and the British publication Daily Mail launched a narrative in unison about the Armenian NPP as a ''new probable Chernobyl'', appealing to outdated cliches, emotional language and dubious expert comments.
According to the expert, NTV calls the NPP a ''time bomb'', emphasizing its location in a seismically active zone and the age of the reactor. In support of this, the name of Western "expert" Peter Marco Theis is heard, who calls for the intervention of the EU and the US to "eliminate the threat".
Davtyan added that the Daily Mail has chosen an equally alarmist tone, the material of which echoes the position of Azerbaijan and repeats the same "vocabulary of fear" - the station "can explode at any moment".
In this vein, he recalled that the Armenian NPP has undergone a large-scale modernization with the participation of Rosatom, including equipment upgrades, major repairs and increased sustainability.
According to him, the IAEA has officially confirmed the station's compliance with international standards. Moreover, the director of the agency, Rafael Grossi, directly stated in 2023: the station is operated under strict supervision and in accordance with current safety standards.
"Information attacks on nuclear power plants are not a concern for security, but an instrument of geopolitical pressure. Their goal is to weaken Armenia's energy support, discredit its cooperation with Russia in the nuclear sphere and create an atmosphere of alarm in the international arena.
The demonization of the Armenian NPP is part of a systemic campaign aimed against Armenia's energy security. Such propaganda has no scientific basis or expert objectivity. This is politicized populism disguised as ''environmental concern''," Davtyan is sure.
At the same time, he believes that in these conditions, Armenia should not succumb to blackmail, but strengthen international ties with the IAEA, deepen cooperation with Rosatom, and continue the course towards technological modernization.
"Energy security is a matter of sovereignty. And the Armenian NPP today is not a threat, but a shield," Davtyan concluded.
On December 14, 2023, the Armenian government decided to allocate $65 million for a second extension of the service life of the second power unit of the Armenian NPP for a period of 10 years - until 2036. The work on the implementation of the program will be carried out by Rusatom Service, with which a corresponding agreement was concluded. The customer of the project will be the Armenian NPP, which will receive state funds in the form of a budget loan. The contractor of the program is Rusatom Service, which is part of the Rosatom State Corporation.
