Armenia conducts stress-test at its nuclear power plant

Mediamax, Armenia
July 22 2011

Armenia conducts stress-test at its nuclear power plant

Yerevan, 22 July: The stress-test is already launched in the Armenian
Nuclear Power Plant [NPP] in Metsamor.

Today, the spokesperson for Armenian Ministry of Energy and Natural
Resources, Lusine Harutyunyan, informed Mediamax about it. According
to her, the stress test conduct is rather a long process which may
last up to several months.

The Chairman of Nuclear Security Regulation State Committee, Ashot
Martirosyan, in his turn, said that “unlike the majority of European
nuclear power plants, our NPP has more problems to be solved as it is
a first-generation plant”.

“The EU decided to support Armenia, and leading European organizations
and companies will be involved in the conduct of the stress-test to
ensure proper level,” said Ashot Martirosyan in his interview to
Mediamax.

According to him, the technical goal of the stress-test conducted in
Armenian NPP is similar to the goals that European NPPs pursue. “But
taking into account that our plant is a first generation one, more
in-depth analyses may be required,” noted the head of Nuclear Security
Regulation State Committee.

Mediamax recalls that on 23 June, Armenia along with Croatia, Russia,
Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and Belarus signed a declaration on
conducting stress-tests in NPP based on the tests worked out by the
EU.

The OSART mission gave a positive assessment to the security state of
Metsamor NPP in Armenia in late May.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress