June 26, 2007 - 16:14 AMT
Serzh Sargsyan: Armenia interested in new nuclear power plant
Government of Armenia is interested in construction of a new nuclear power plant, Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan stated on June 26. He said, currently this issue is in the situation of its first stages, since financial sources and technologies of this project are unknown.

About $240 million will be necessary to fully decommission the acting Armenian (Metsamor) Nuclear Power Plant by the method of "green lawn". According to technical requirements it expires in 2016, but after signing the Action Plan of the European Neighborhood Program Armenia undertook the obligation to close the above-mentioned acting nuclear plant as soon as possible.

Answering the question posed by head of "Orinats Yerkir" opposition faction Arthur Baghdasaryan if the newly built Iran-Armenia gas pipeline will be used as transit one, Serzh Sargsyan stated that the major goal of building the second line of the Iran-Armenia gas-main is to increase its capacity. He said, it does not mean that the pipeline will be autonomous or will become a transit line or provide transit opportunities. "However, in case of such proposals we are ready to study them," Serzh Sargsyan stated, adding that it is connected with various problems "and first of all financial". Among problematic aspects the Premier underlined those, such as "who will agree to invest money and what guarantees will be proposed", IA Regnum reports.