Minister Manukyan considers inappropriate the construction of new energy unit of Armenia’s NPP at the moment

Minister of energy infrastructures and natural resources Ashot Manukyan doesn’t consider appropriate the construction of new energy unit of the nuclear power plant at the moment․

“We have repeatedly announced that Armenia’s nuclear power plant is able to continue its work in case of conducting some upgrading works. After some diagnostic works the specialists can decide how long it can operate. At this moment it is inappropriate to build a new energy unit when there is the current one which can operate safely for some time”, the minister said in the Parliament in response to the question of Yelk faction head Nikol Pashinyan.

The minister stated that the nuclear technologies are rapidly developing. According to him, if 5 years ago there was an alternative just between the two technologies, today there are at least five alternatives each of which can be applied in our system, each of them is much cheaper, much safer and more reliable.

“Therefore, the government’s decision was simple – to operate the current nuclear power plant as much as it has the resource for safe operation, and after deciding the operation deadline to discuss when to build the new nuclear power plant and with what technology”, the minister said.