In the opening speech at the 12th sitting of the Atomic Energy Security Council (AESC) on Tuesday President Serzh Sargsyan made implications that the Armenian government will likely delay the decommissioning of Metsamor nuclear power plant that was originally expected to start by 2017.

“Armenia has a strategic program of energy development, where the nuclear energy development program plays a pivotal role. Only the existence of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (ANPP) in fundamental energy production will ensure the necessary energy security level in the country. For this very reason any discussion over the fate of the second energy unit is closely connected to the time frames for the construction of a new nuclear energy unit. It is obvious that in case of a delay in the introduction of the new power-generating unit, we will have to solve the issue of extending the exploitation of ANPP’s second power-generating unit,” said the president addressing the council.

Yerevan has been under pressure from the United States and the European Union to shut down the plant ever since one of its two reactors was reactivated in 1995. Armenian officials have insisted, however, that the reactor, which provides about 40 percent of Armenia’s electricity, is safe enough.

“We can understand the donor countries’ position on the need for the Armenian side to be the co-financer of the works aimed at increasing the security level of the power plant. There are, however, certain difficulties in that respect…” said the president, explaining that in 2010 the prices for gas were raised, but electricity prices were kept the same for the fear of deepening social vulnerability of the population. “But the prices for nuclear fuel have increased as well as the cost of renovation. Consequently, the power plant’s tariff margin [the difference between the nuclear fuel and electricity tariff] is insufficient to cover all the expenses,” he said adding that they are looking for additional resources.

Sargsyan also stressed that no matter what it takes but “we have to make sure that the second check of the plant scheduled for late 2012 early 2013 confirms tangible progress in increasing the security level of the plant exploitation… for this purpose we have decided to hold stress-testing of the ANPP’s functioning energy unit. The European Union has promised to help us in timely implementation of the test, the results of which will be ready in the second quarter of 2012.”

Chairman of the Council, German nuclear scientist Adolf Birkhofer assured that Armenia’s Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant is in proper condition and is in accord with European and US standards and added that the recent “misinformation” by Turkey and Azerbaijan on the safety of the plant are not true...

“Such statements have always been made. There have been similar statements about the German Nuclear Power Plant, but this does not correspond to reality,” Berghoffer said at the end of the AESC meeting (referring to the recent Turkish and Azeri statements, voiced after the earthquake in Van last month, claiming that the Metsamor plant poses a threat to the region).