Скачать или смотреть DANGER OF METSAMOR NUCLEAR POWER PLANT FOR SOUTH CAUCASUS

If an accident happens at Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant, then not only Armenia, but also all the countries of the South Caucasus and the Middle East will suffer.

Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant was built in 1970. After the destructive earthquake of 1988 in Spitak, it was shut down. However, in 1995, despite the international protests, the operation of the station was resumed. Moreover, the second reactor was also launched.

An explosion at Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant might be the repetition of Chernobyl catastrophe, said experts speaking about the expiration of the nuclear power plant.

Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant began to operate in 1976.
The license for the exploitation of the station will expire on September 1, 2016. Nevertheless, the Armenian government has made the decision to prolong the date of exploitation of the plant for 10 more years.

In connection with this, specialists say that radioactive radiation might spread at any time, as Armenia has turned Metsamor into a nuclear weapon, not the source of energy.

TELMAN ZEYNALOV – EXPERT

First of all, the volume of radiation will increase. Our lands, water and air will be poisoned. It will damage human health. As a result of radiation, the number of cancer diseases will increase. This is a huge catastrophe and so far, there have been neither technologies nor methods for fighting against it.”

All the countries of the South Caucasus would suffer from a possible catastrophe. They are located several km away from the nuclear power plant. Azerbaijan and Georgia are located 120 km away, Iran – 60 km, Turkey – 16 km, the capital of Armenia itself – 30-35 km away from Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant. Taking into account the fact that Armenia is located in the Kura-Araz basin, any waste thrown there goes into the Azerbaijani rivers and then into the Caspian Sea. Thus, if something dangerous happens, Azerbaijan will suffer more according to ecologists. According to international experts, if a disaster occurs at Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant, Armenia might become uninhabitable.

WILLIAM ARTURS – MEMBER OF BRITISH INSTITUTE OF ENERGY ECONOMICS

“Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant like the Nuclear Power Plant in Fukusima is located in the region of intensive seismic activity. The example of this danger is the earthquake with magnitude of 6,8 that occurred in 1988, the epicenter of which was 100 km away from Metsamor.”

According to Turkish experts, the Armenian leadership intentionally leads the country to eradication by continuing to exploit the nuclear power plant. Yerevan should attract Norwegian and American specialists to the restoration of the nuclear power plant. Nonetheless, taking into account the Armenian economy, it is clear that Armenia will not be able to take such a step. The best way out of the situation will be full deactivation of the Power Plant.

HABIL HUSEYNLI – POLITICAL SCIENTIST

“Recently, the number of people talking about the danger of Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant has increased. They say that this station is not under sufficient protection and therefore, the robbery of uranium substances has been resumed. At least 11 times, the legislative forces have detained criminals and all of them were Armenian nationals. The fact that the Armenians have such substances poses danger to the world. It is not ruled out that the Armenians might sell uranium substances to international terrorist organizations. As a result of this, the threat of terrorism might rise to the level of nuclear weapons and end up with irreparable processes in the world.”

In Armenia, experts allegedly do not understand the concern over Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant. They claim that all the security measures at the Nuclear Power Plant are taken. At one of the press conferences, former Prime Minister of Armenia, MP, Hrant Bagratyan openly stated that Yerevan had a nuclear weapon. Bagratyan explained to journalists that Armenia had an opportunity to create a nuclear weapon adding the same sentence: “We have a nuclear weapon.”

Such statements should urge the world community to take necessary action on the issue of Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant. Ecologists and scientists of the region note that the International Atomic Energy Agency should be engaged in this issue. They highlight that the seismic activity of this region turns the exploitation of Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant into a dangerous enterprise even if a new reactor is built. If international organizations do not take necessary measures, then the world will face a global catastrophe.