Azernews.Az

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A US congressman has said Armenia’s Metsamor nuclear power plant, which provides some 40 percent of domestically consumed electricity, dates back to the Soviet era and is clearly not up to contemporary standards of safety.

"That is why, the United States, in partnership with the European Union, Russia and international bodies, has contributed to an upgrade of the facility’s safety standards," James Moran wrote in a letter to the Azerbaijani Diaspora members concerning their campaign aimed at shutting down the Metsamor facility.

"Our work on Metsamor is critically important, and I am monitoring progress closely," he said.

The congressman said the dramatic events at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami have highlighted the risks of nuclear energy the world over.

Moran also promised to keep the Azerbaijani community’s campaign in mind as Congress considers US foreign assistance and nuclear policy in the region.

Metsamor is located 30 km west of the Armenian capital Yerevan, in a seismic zone. The plant has been in operation since 1976. Following a devastating earthquake that hit Spitak in 1988, the Armenian government decided to shut the facility, but in 1993 it had to re-launch it due to economic challenges.

Former Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze has called on the country’s government to immediately launch talks with Armenia on ensuring the safety of the neighboring South Caucasus republic’s obsolete Metsamor plant.

Shevardnadze said in a recent interview with Georgia’s Asaval Dasavali weekly that the data available about the facility is grounds for "serious concern".

"As you know, the situation at Metsamor is aggravating. There is absolutely no safety there and it poses a threat to the entire region."

He added that Tbilisi should therefore begin negotiating the issue with Yerevan to avert a potential catastrophe.