Disaster expected in 5 countries - FACTS proving danger of Metsamor NPP

  12 May 2016    Read: 12130
Disaster expected in 5 countries - FACTS proving danger of Metsamor NPP
It has been a long time that the states in the region – Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iran, Georgia as well as the European Union and the most international organizations sensationalize about Metsamor NPP, which is called `time bomb`. It is highlighted that the plant may cause an accident by putting millions of people under threat. However, Armenia still continues to operate this old power plant.

The Soviet Union decided to construct the Metsamor NPP in 1967. The construction of this power plant launched in 1973, by being located in the town of Metsamor, located 40 km. west of Armenia`s capital, Yerevan. The complex consists of two units. The first one was set in motion on December 22 of 1976, and the second one was launched on January 5, 1980.The construction of the third and fourth units was launched in 1983. After the Chernobyl accident, the construction works stopped.

The epicenter of 1988 Armenian earthquake was 75 kilometers (47 mi) from the epicenter from the Metsamor NPP. The earthquake in Spitak frightened the USSR and Armenian government. The forces from other regions were deployed here. After the earthquake in 1988, the USSR Ministers Council decided that the existing two units of the NPP must shut down and the second unit was conserved. The equipment of the first unit was dis-functioned and sold. The plant produced 48 466 million KV per hour energy.

Despite all the international criticism, the plant was restored by Armenia encountering with serious energy crisis. The plant is the only one in the region, which has two units equipped with VVGR-40 first generation model reactors, produced in Russia.

Currently, the first unit of the plant was shut down but the second unit with 407, 5 MVt energy functions and meets 40 % of the energy need of Armenia.

What is the danger?

Many scientists, ecologists, and politicians highlighted the danger of Metsamor NPP to the region. The most serious issue is the location of the plant in seismic zone. The 1988 Armenian earthquake occurred in destroyed Spitak and the number of casualties was 25.000. Although the earthquake was felt in the plant, there was not any serious damage.

It was supposed that the building can endure magnitude 8 earthquake. Yet more, Armenian based sources claimed in Wikipedia that the building can endure magnitude 9.5 earthquake. The figure is ridiculous. Because, the Earth changes its form in magnitude 9 earthquake and the world has never witnessed a building that endure magnitude 9 earthquake.



The other problem with the Atomic Electric Station which operates 35 years that the plant is quite old. Former director of the AES Suren Azatyan said in one of his statements that it is still unknown if radioactive material oozes from the Metsamor NPP. Besides, we have not enough information as the station works in closed condition. The International Atomic Energy Agency holds monitoring and investigates the situation in the Metsamor NPP. Almost, there is not such type of station in the world.

It is not easy to maintain safety standards. The EU, USA and Russia have spent much money to operate the station and make it safer. The Russian `Rosatom` State Corporation played irreplaceable role in the reoperation of Metsamor NPP. Despite of the all expenses and security measures, the station is still very old.

In case of any emergency situation in the reactor of the Metsamor NPP, firstly the territory of the Armenian Republic and its population will suffer from the accident, Revan Mehdiyeva, the deputy chief of the Radiation Problems Institute of the National Academy of Science of Azerbaijan told AzVision.az.

Armenian President Serj Sargsyan poses threat his nation as well without taking into account the current situation guiding by his political ambitions,



`The Nuclear Power Plant of the Armenian Republic will lead to the problems not only in Armenia but also in the regional countries such as Azerbaijan, Turkey, Georgia and Iran. Unfortunately, the representatives of those countries did not raise the problem in the Nuclear Security Summit. If an accident happens in the Metsamor NPP, radioactive contamination will occur in the lands, water and air of the neighbor countries such as Azerbaijan. We have observed double standards in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We do hope that those double standards will not be applied the closure of the Metsamor NPP that is based on old technologies and a source of danger for the region. Furthermore, the UN and its intuitions that specialized in Nuclear Energy will aid to ensure nuclear security of Azerbaijan and neighbor countries in a short span of time`, the professor said.



`The NPP has always one problem: the disposal of the radioactive wastes. Armenia is a small country and not available to dispose and make harmless the wastes. Armenia does not confess but it simply solves this problem. Firstly, it disposes the radioactive wastes in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. In this regard, it strengthens radioactive background in those lands. Secondly, it dumps the radioactive wastes into Araz and Kur Rivers`, Mehdiyeva added.

`If Metsamor NPP explodes, the landscape of harm will resemble to the problems in the environment caused by the radioactive wastes of Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant explosion. The Metsamor NPP has operated for many years and expired. Therefore, a large amount of liquid radioactive wastes was accumulated. It is supposed that WWR reactor of the Metsamor NPP has created thousand cubic meters of liquid radioactive wastes during these years.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev called attention of the participants of the Nuclear Security Summit that the occupied territories of Azerbaijan are far apart to control and are being used for different purposes and for storing the radioactive wastes by Armenians. Armenian President commented on the problem that it was impossible to register exactly the nuclear and radioactive materials and to bury them in the region of Karabakh. However, it seems the people who prepared the statement for Sargsyan have poor memory or do not want to think. The recent deep examination of nuclear materials that were detected in Georgia`s border proved that all of them came from Nuclear Power Plants of the Armenian Republic. There is a possibility to bury radioactive materials, tools and clothes in the Nagorno-Karabakh.

If we review the history of the Nuclear Summits, we can see that the main problem is the accidents occur in the nuclear reactors of the NPP as a result of earthquake. It is a foregone conclusion for all nuclear reactors that operate in seismically active regions. Azerbaijani former President Haydar Aliyev brought a question on the closure of the Metsamor NPP during the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mohamed ElBaradei `s visit to Azerbaijan in 2002. However, as a result of the examination, the IAEA agreed to extend the operation of Armenian NPP till 2016 such as other WWR reactors that operate in the world`, Professor Ravan Mehdiyeva noted.

The Armenian Republic is under escort in the field of nuclear energy as well as in the field of military, economy and politics, the Deputy Director of the institution stated: `The Armenian side made a decision on the construction of the nuclear energy reactor that will generate 1060 MW. The cost of the project was estimated at 5 billion dollars. They begged for money from different countries. Consequently, Russia agreed to grant loan which evaluated at 20-25% of the total amount. However, Armenian could not finance the project, as its annual revenue amounted to 4-5 billion dollars. Therefore, it was planned to implement the project in 2026. They have been desirous of extending the expiry date of the second bloc in the last two years. It was identified that it required a large amount of money from Armenia in regard with the estimated cost of the reconstruction project that was prepared on the basis of the statement of the IAEA. On one hand, the Armenian Government made an official decision to extend the date of the second bloc on March 27, 2014 feeling frightened that the World Community would believe in the proofs after the Azerbaijani President`s statement at the third Nuclear Security Summit. On the other hand, its decision activated the terrible danger source for Armenia which faces a difficult economic situation`.

`Earthquake and tsunami disabled two reactors of Japan which possesses the modern, perfect and earthquake endurable technologies. If there was a belief in the durability of the reactors of the ANPP, why USSR Ministers Council decided that the existing the NPP reactor must shut down for nine years after the earthquake on January 6,1989. Two blocs shut down in February-March in 1989. After five to six years of being shuttered, the second bloc was restarted on November 5, 1995. Obviously, the Soviet Union that was the one of the powerful nuclear country of the world did not believe in the seismic durability of these reactors. Hence, the second bloc was launched to operate after six years of reconstruction and the first bloc was shut down for good`, Mehdiyeva highlighted.

AzVision.az

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