Yerevan acknowledges work underway with Western contractors at nuclear plant

Armenian authorities have acknowledged that work is being carried out with Western contractors at the Metsamor nuclear power plant, bypassing specialists from the Russian state corporation Rosatom, who are responsible for extending the plant’s operational life.

According to a statement from the plant’s press service, the EU is supporting Armenia’s nuclear safety by implementing additional stress-test measures.

“Alternative water-supply equipment, funded by the EU and supplied by the Slovak company VÚEZ, successfully passed factory and acceptance tests, confirming full compliance with technical requirements. It added that the European Union continues to support Armenia in strengthening nuclear safety through measures identified by the EU expert mission’s stress-test assessment, including the provision of EU technical expertise and modern equipment to ensure safety in the event of severe accidents” – the plant’s statement on Facebook said.

It was also noted that the on-site acceptance tests involved the plant’s acceptance commission, made up of plant staff, an EU consultant, and a representative of the European Commission.