RUSSIA AND ARMENIA TO SET UP JOINT URANIUM ENTERPRISE
ITAR-TASS Agency, Russia
April 23 2007
YEREVAN, April 23 (Itar-Tass) – Russia and Armenia will set up a
joint enterprise to prospect and mine uranium. Russian specialists
are to fly to Armenia within the next ten days.
Armenia’s minimum uranium reserves are estimated at twenty thousand
tonnes.
"We are offering to set up a joint enterprise to carry out geological
prospecting jobs and to mine uranium afterwards," Armenian Ecology
Minister Vartan Aivazian stated here during his talks with Rosatom
Chief Sergei Kiriyenko.
The latter assured the Armenian side that Russia was ready to sign a
corresponding document. " We are prepared to sign a protocol on the
foundation of such a joint enterprise. Russian specialists will be
ready to fly to Armenia within the next ten days in order to take
part there in uranium prospecting jobs," he added.
The Rosatom chief cited Soviet archive data, indicating that Armenia’s
uranium reserves are estimated at twenty thousand tonnes.
"Those deposits were not fully prospected and it is believed that
the use of new methods will help increase 1.
Kiriyenko reported that three uranium deposits were so far found in
Armenia. "It goes without saying that Armenia is able to satisfy its
own requirements in uranium both for the nuclear power plant it already
has and, possibly, for one more new power plant," Kiriyenko stressed.
"We are ready to invest funds in the prospecting and mining of uranium
in Armenia," the Rosatom chief noted. In his opinion, the already
existing nuclear power plant and the impending extraction of uranium
will help close the nuclear cycle, which will "raise our cooperation
to a fundamentally new level".
"Russian specialists are ready to take part in the construction of
the second nuclear power plant in Armenia if the Armenian side was
to come out with such a proposal," Kiriyenko stated.
He spoke highly about the present condition of the existing Armenian
nuclear power plant: "Our specialists believe the current condition
of the station is very good. It is run by real professionals, which
makes for its steady operation."
Armenia is not only capable of satisfying its own requirements in
uranium from the already prospected deposits, but even to export it
to other countries, the Rosatom chief believes.
In Aivazian’s opinion, "fifty per cent of the preparatory jobs, needed
to prospect uranium, are already over". "We shall issue a permission
to carry out geological prospecting jobs within the next two weeks,"
he noted.
"The Armenian government issued on Thursday a permission to grant
licences for the implementation of all the required jobs," he added.
"The arrival of a Russian delegation will turn a new page in the
cooperation between Russia and Armenia," Aivazian noted. "We are
thereby promoting the strategic partnership between our two countries,"
he added.
The Armenian ecology minister said it was yet necessary to sign a
protocol, concerning the implementation of these jobs, and a plan for
2007. "All this will allow us to enhance Armenia’s energy security,"
Aivazian noted.