Azerbaijan, Baku / Тrend corr E. Huseynli / The nuclear power station in the South Caucasus represents a threat, the Director of the Geo-Ecological Monitoring Centre of the Azerbaijani Ecology and Natural Resources Ministry, Ali Aliyev, stated to Trend on 27 June. He referred to the construction as a gamble.
According to Aliyev, because Armenia is situated in a seismic area, the construction of a nuclear power station there is not practical. International organizations should investigate burying waste products from the Armenian Metsamor nuclear power station in the occupied Azerbaijani territories, he urged.
From the technical point of view, Metsamor is not a modern nuclear power station and the possibility of anthropogenic-caused accidents is high in the station. It is difficult to believe that the new station will correspond to technological standards, the Director noted. At the same time, possible natural disasters can become catastrophic for the region. For the time being, Metsamor's radioactive wastes are disposed of into the Araz River which flows into the Caspian Sea," Aliyev added.
Statistic analysis of seismic data revealed that Armenia repeatedly experienced severe earthquakes, of which as a result, over 500,000 people died. A 10-magnitute quake occurred in the Basharkecher region in 735AD, which killed 10,000 people. In 854, 869, and 893, Irevan experienced 10-magnitute quakes, which resulted in the deaths of 224,000 people. The following earthquakes have occurred since then: in 1679, Garni - 9-magnitude killed 10,000; in 1827, Chakhkadzor - 9-magnitude; in 1840 Alagez - 10-magnitude killed 2,000; in 1926 Gumru - 8.5-magnitude took 350 victims; in 1988 Spitak - 10-magnitude between 25,000-50,000 people died.
On 26 June, Armenian Prime Minister, Serzh Sarkisyan, reported the construction of a new nuclear power station. According to Sarkisyan, a search for financial sources is in progress and the project's technological sides are being studied.