Construction of second nuclear power plant in Armenia increases risk for the whole region

The upcoming construction of a second nuclear power plant in Armenia increases the risk for the region, the director of the center for geo-environmental monitoring of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan Ali Aliyev said.

In late 2008, the government of Armenia has agreed to build a new nuclear power plant (NPP). In late 2010 - early 2011 it is expected to start construction of a new block of the Armenian nuclear power plant with a capacity of 1000 MW.

According to seismological-statistical analysis, destructive and catastrophic earthquakes (the death of more than 500,000 people) have repeatedly occurred in the territory of current Armenia over the historical period, which led to total destruction of cities and settlements (in 735 in Basarkechar area, 10 points - 10,000 people died, in 854, 869, 893 years in Irevan region, 10 points - 224,000 people died, in 1679 in Garney, 9 points - 10,000 died, in 1827 in Chahkadzor, 9 points, in 1840, Alaghez, 10 points - 2,000 died, in 1926, Gyumri, 8.5 points - 350 died, in 1988, in Hamamly (Spitak), 10 points - 25-50,000 people died).

According to Aliyev, the new nuclear power plant, which is planned to be constructed, contains an element of threat. "The waste disposal of currently operating nuclear power plant Metsamor is implemented in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, because for the transportation of such waste through the territory of other countries, a special permit of these countries is required," said the center's director.

According to him, the lack of a suitable site for the destruction of industrial waste of Metsamor plant poses a serious threat to the ecology of the region and people's lives.

"The main thing is that the construction of nuclear power is not consistent with the standards of seismically sustainable construction and, and in general, the place for nuclear power is actually wrong, without considering the geological and tectonic and seismic conditions of the region," he said.

According to Aliyev, the operation of nuclear power plants that does not meet modern requirements in this region, differing with its seismic activity is inadmissible.

The Razdan region, evaluated as 7-point zone, should actually be rated as a 9-point zone. But this was not taken into account when building nuclear power plants. In the new seismic zoning map prepared by the Armenian specialists after the earthquake in Spitak, Metsamor is assigned to the 8-9-point zone. But during the construction of the same plant, an earthquake in seven or eight points was assigned for this area. If to also take into account the violations that may occur during construction, the plant will not be able to resist the eight-nine-point earthquake.

According to Aliyev, another important issue is the destruction of industrial waste plant, because the destruction of wastes of Metsamor is not implemented properly. "Formerly, the destruction of these wastes was implemented in special burial grounds for radioactive waste in the north of the former USSR. But now, because of the impossibility of this and the high costs, Armenia implements the destruction of wastes in an unacceptable form. Waste discharged into the Araz River now lead to the destruction of the living world of the Caspian Sea," said Aliyev.


/Trend/