Turkish Hurriyat Daily, citing the announcement of RA Energy Minister Armen Movsisyan, reports that the closure of Armenian Metsamor nuclear power plant will be postponed till 2023.
“We have extended the operation duration of the current plant, considering that a new nuclear plant to meet Armenia’s power demand cannot be build in less than 10 years,” said Movsisyan.
The Daily writes that Armenia knows Western countries support the closure of the Metsamor facility but the United States already backs their decision and has promised security support for the facility.
U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, John Heffern, confirmed the statements, saying that the U.S wants the facility to be closed by 2016 at the latest, but after Armenia’s extension decision they signed a memorandum in a bid to at least increase security.
Note, the nuclear plant was closed in 1988, during the Soviet era, after a devastating earthquake killed around 25,000 people, and resumed operations in 1995.
As reported, Turkey, Iran and Azerbaijan would be the most affected by an accident at Metsamor, said Eurasia Security and Strategic Research Center (ASAM) President Hatem Cabbarlı.
