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Azerbaijani Diaspora in US: â€œArmenian Metzamor Nuclear Power Plant is a source of threatâ€

24 March 2011 05:00 (UTC +04:00)

Washington â€“ APA. The Azerbaijani Diaspora in the US raises concern over Armenian Metzamor Nuclear Power Plant in, APAâ€™s Washington DC correspondent reports.
The Diaspora has started a new campaign by sending the letters to the US Congress members in order to dismantle the plant.
â€œThe recent earthquake in Japan has shown vividly the inherent dangers of nuclear power plants in seismically-active areas. If Japan was caught off-guard, then what is to say of reckless third world nations? The Metzamor Nuclear Power Plant was built during the 1970s, about 20 miles west of the Armenian capital of Yerevan in the city of Metzamor. The plant was constructed with two VVER-440 Model V230 nuclear reactorsâ€, reminds the Diaspora. â€œThe guaranteed resource potential of the working Armenian nuclear power plant will be exhausted by 2016â€.
According to the authors, the design of the Metzamor plant is much the same as those which the European Union insisted be shut down before Bulgaria and Slovakia joined the EU.
â€œMetzamor is located in the area which has 11-magnitude earthquake risk. It was built to withstand only 9-magnitude earthquake. After the devastating earthquake in Armenia in 1988, the authorities decided to close it, which is a proof that even the Armenian powers of that period realized the threat of Metzamor nuke plant in case of force majeure and natural cataclysms.â€, they notes.
â€œAlthough the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe documents expressed concerns more than once, that this nuke station situated in the seismically active zone is a source of serious danger for all of the Caucasus region unfortunately, the plant is still operationalâ€, the Diaspora reminds.
â€œThe U.S. Congress and Government must make all foreign aid to Armenia conditional to the immediate closing of the Metzamor nuke plant this yearâ€, suggest the Diaspora.