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Publish date: September 27, 2007
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He said that the issue of shutting down the Armenian nuclear power plant was discussed Thursday during the eighth session of the Armenia-European Union Cooperation Committee. He said that the European Union continues to insist on the soonest closure of the plant in Armenia based on security considerations, as it was built during Soviet times and does not comply with contemporary nuclear security requirements.
Wiegand said that the loan will be a targeted one and cannot be used for building a new nuclear power plant in Armenia.
He believes that alternative sources of power should be created in the republic before the nuclear power plant is closed down, and the EU welcomes the Armenian government’s policy of diversifying sources of electricity.
Asked about the EU’s position on the Armenian government’s intention to build a new nuclear power plant, Wiegand said that the EU is concerned with security issues in the region, and is not ready to stimulate the implementation of a project on the construction of a new nuclear plant.
Previously, the EU said it was ready to provide a EUR 100m grant for the closure of the Armenian nuclear power plant. The term of the operation of the second power block of the Armenian nuclear power plant expires in 2016. By that time, the Armenian government intends to build a new contemporary nuclear power plant with a capacity of 1,000 MW.
Throughout the past year, our mission at the Bellona Environmental Transparency Center has focused on two key, but intertwined issues—nuclear and radiation safety as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine drags on, and the worldwide influence of Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear corporation, which itself is actively involved in the war and has participated in the occupation of a Ukrainian nuclear power plant.
At the beginning of the year, reports in the German and Russian press suggested an approximate 70% increase in uranium imports from Russia to Germany in 2024. But does this reflect broader European trends? It does not. Overall, imports of uranium and nuclear fuel from Russia to Western countries actually dropped sharply in 2024. Unlike the situation in Germany, this is already an established trend.
A Lingen, Germany plant could begin producing nuclear fuel in cooperation with a subsidiary of Rosatom, Russia's state nuclear corporation, which is directly involved in the war in Ukraine and occupying the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
In this news digest, we monitor events that impact the environment in the Russian Arctic. Our focus lies in identifying the factors that contribute to pollution and climate change.