Tweet
The main problem for Armenia connected with building of new nuclear power generating unit was and still remains the issue of financing. Let us mention one remarkable fact: today the Republic of Armenia take the last place among the counties building nuclear power plants in the aspect of absolute index of the GDP. It is obvious that with such macro-economic indices one cannot implement such an expensive project as building nuclear power generating unit on their own. E.g. Bulgaria which GDP surpass the GDP of Armenian more than 5 times, had to suspend building of Belen Nuclear Power Plant in 2009 because it could not finance the project. And the international investors are not ready to take over financing of the construction of that power generating unit, because they do not know yet whether the project will bring tangible profit in the future.
Almost the same problem is faced by the RA, because in order to promote foreign investments building of the new nuclear power generating unit must be profitable in our country from purely economic point of view, meanwhile it is not so. It is obvious that the RA authorities will restrict the growth of the electricity prices at any cost in order to soften the social burden of the population. In this case those who are going to finance building of new Armenian Nuclear Power Plant must understand that it is impossible to realize super-profits with the help of nuclear station.
That was the factor which conditioned the lack of interest of the investors in the project of power generating unit building. The only state that showed interest in it was Russia, which, according to the agreement concluded on August 20, will undertake the most part of financing of the project. This caused many negatively coloured discussions which may not be stopped in the future either: they say Moscow tends to consolidate its positions in Armenia through building new power generating unit. Of course Moscow tends to do so and such intensions are in terms of its fundamental interests, but it is still obscure why should we treat it negatively? One may have an impression that the United States sponsored Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline construction out of sheer humanistic incentives. Undoubtedly, after construction of power generating unit Russian presence in Armenia will become even stronger, meanwhile there has been no serious argument sounded how it affects our interests. There has been no well-grounded argument of how Moscow will use the nuclear power station in order to affect us. Will it demolish it and take it to other country?
Nuclear energy has always been an important political factor. The nuclear energy, just like oil and gas, depends on international economic and political processes and that is why we should not separate it from politics. In this aspect, due to natural and objective reasons, Russia is the only country which can finance and build in Armenia new nuclear power generating unit which in its turn will become a cornerstone of the energy security of Armenia for the next 50 years.
Almost the same problem is faced by the RA, because in order to promote foreign investments building of the new nuclear power generating unit must be profitable in our country from purely economic point of view, meanwhile it is not so. It is obvious that the RA authorities will restrict the growth of the electricity prices at any cost in order to soften the social burden of the population. In this case those who are going to finance building of new Armenian Nuclear Power Plant must understand that it is impossible to realize super-profits with the help of nuclear station.
That was the factor which conditioned the lack of interest of the investors in the project of power generating unit building. The only state that showed interest in it was Russia, which, according to the agreement concluded on August 20, will undertake the most part of financing of the project. This caused many negatively coloured discussions which may not be stopped in the future either: they say Moscow tends to consolidate its positions in Armenia through building new power generating unit. Of course Moscow tends to do so and such intensions are in terms of its fundamental interests, but it is still obscure why should we treat it negatively? One may have an impression that the United States sponsored Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline construction out of sheer humanistic incentives. Undoubtedly, after construction of power generating unit Russian presence in Armenia will become even stronger, meanwhile there has been no serious argument sounded how it affects our interests. There has been no well-grounded argument of how Moscow will use the nuclear power station in order to affect us. Will it demolish it and take it to other country?
Nuclear energy has always been an important political factor. The nuclear energy, just like oil and gas, depends on international economic and political processes and that is why we should not separate it from politics. In this aspect, due to natural and objective reasons, Russia is the only country which can finance and build in Armenia new nuclear power generating unit which in its turn will become a cornerstone of the energy security of Armenia for the next 50 years.
Comment