Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova, AzerNews Staff Writer

A 32-year old only nuclear power plant located in Metsamor region of Armenia poses a threat to the entire region.

Eight years ago, the European Union called the facility ``a danger to the entire region," but Armenia later turned down the EU`s offer of a 200 million euro ($289 million) loan to finance Metsamor`s shutdown. The U.S. government also underlined this fact, calling the plant ``aging and dangerous," and urged construction of a new one.

The EU again called Armenia to stop the work of Metsamor power station in 2011. They proposed Armenia $100m in financial aid to meet the country`s power demand.

It is one of the few remnants of the old soviet nuclear reactors built without primary containment structures. Only a few of these first generation water-moderated reactors are still in use today, being past or near their original retirement ages, but what sets the Metsamor nuclear power plant apart from all the others is the fact that it`s located in a potentially hazardous seismic zone.

Environmentalists say that the area`s vulnerability to earthquakes, makes operating a nuclear plant at Metsamor a high-risk proposition, regardless of the new reactor`s design. The president of the Greens Union of Armenia, Hakob Sanasaryan told media that it is a crime to build a new nuclear power station in Metsamor and a nuclear power station cannot be constructed near water and agricultural systems, in seismic zones, in densely populated areas. Sanasaryan said the reactor should be situated at least in 150 kilometers of the capital Yerevan. `So, this means all norms are being violated, and the consequences could be disastrous."

Experts say the Metsamor plant is located in a seismically active zone and poses a danger to Armenia`s neighboring countries - Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan. The three countries demand immediate shutdown of the nuclear power plant in view of the danger to the whole region.

After the devastating Spitak earthquake the activity of this plant had been suspended, but in 1995, despite international protests, the work of the station was reactivated and in addition, the second reactor was launched.

Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz voiced a protest to plants whose the effective life expired, saying `Turkey will address to the International Atomic Energy Agency for closing Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant in Armenia.`

Georgian Green Party Leader Giorgi Gachechiladze said this plant is outdated both technologically and morally, and for this reason the risk of an accident is `pretty high`.

``We have been demanding the closure of the Metsamor NPP since the Spitak earthquake and EU representatives have also expressed fears. The EU even offered to pay compensation for the closure of Armenia`s Metsamor NPP."

He went on to stress that the frequent earthquakes can lead to an accident at the Metsamor NPP and in case of a radiation leak, the first countries to be hit will be those bordering with Armenia, namely Turkey and Georgia.

``The station is located in the highlands and the accident may lead to lack of water for emergency core cooling system,`` Gachechiladze said, noting that during the NPP`s activities it faced two serious accidents, while one of them burned about 400 km of cables.

Most Georgian citizens regard the Metsamor NPP as a threat to their security. An opinion poll conducted by the Palitra nedeli weekly shows that 86.3 percent of 417 respondents believe that the Armenian NPP is a threat to Georgia. Armenian environmentalists share this view.

Furthermore, Azerbaijani National Academy of Sciences President Mahmud Karimov recently voiced Azerbaijan`s concerns over Metsamor, recalling the EU`s statement on a need to close the plant. Despite regular inspections of the plant by international organizations, the results of these inspections are kept secret and no information is given to Azerbaijan about them. The countries of the region -- Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia -- have repeatedly proposed allowing the specialists of these countries to examine the Metsamor nuclear power plant. But the reports on Metsamor remain unavailable for these three countries. Armenia says ten different committees have checked the Metsamor NPP in 2011. The test results, however, are not available to neighboring countries, that is, the inspections lack transparency.

The Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan to the UN Agshin Mehdiyev stated earlier at the briefing of the UN Security Council on nuclear security that Azerbaijan attaches great importance to the ensuring of nuclear security from the first days of independence. He said that the country considers its geographical situation and pays serious attention to the prevention of illegal nuclear materials from its territory. ``But, unfortunately, continuous occupation of Azerbaijani lands by Armenia makes it inpossible to control the significant distance of the state border."

Mehdiyev expressed hope that both neighboring countries and international community would support Azerbaijan`s proposal to change the South Caucasus region into the nuclear-free zone. ``From this standpoint, the existence of out of date Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant in Armenia gives rise to concern," he said.

The facility has not only alarmed neighboring Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan but began to receive international notice as well -- National Geographic also drew the attention to this fact in a story entitled ``Is Armenia`s Nuclear Plant the World`s Most Dangerous?".

In addition, the draft resolution entitled ``Constant threat of Metsamor Atomic Power Station to South Caucasus and Europe" prepared by an Azerbaijani parliamentary representative to PACE, MP Ganira Pashayeva will be discussed at PACE Bureau and other organizations of the Council of Europe.

The draft document undersigned by about 25 European parliamentarians says that Metsamor Atomic Power Station is a constant threat to South Caucasus and Europe.

``The questions dealing with the stoppage of Metsamor station functioning in a seismic zone were raised for several times at the PACE sessions. The question is that if any emergency case occurs in this area Azerbaijan will have less than 24 hours for evacuation. Furthermore, Metsamor having a power to kill a great number of people in South Caucasus is located in an 11-magnitude earthquake risky zone," the document says.

So far, the world witnessed several serious nuclear and radiation accidents. Nuclear power plant accidents included the Chernobyl disaster (1986), Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster (2011), and the Three Mile Island accident (1979). Some nuclear-powered submarine mishaps can also be added to this list.

Thus, the international community should take the warnings of neighbor states into consideration and take measures in order to prevent the new nuclear accident. The accidents that have already happened so far claimed many lives and their consequences have not been eliminated yet. Therefore, it is unacceptable to allow a new disaster to take place.