Azerbaijan, Baku / Trend corr U. Ismayilova / A member of the Azerbaijani parliamentary commission on economic policy, Vahid Ahmadov, sees no need to build a nuclear power station in Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan, a country with vast hydrocarbon reserves, does not need a nuclear power station, Ahmadov said on 27 August.
" Azerbaijan does not need a nuclear power station, it has enough oil and gas to meet its internal needs," he said.
The director of radiation problems institute of the Azerbaijani National Academy of Sciences, Adil Garibov, said on 25 August that an agreement to construct a nuclear reactor had been reached in Azerbaijan.
A package of proposals on the construction of a nuclear power station was submitted to the Government in March. 1500 MW of power would be achieved at the station. There was a suggested to construct the station in the Navai area near Baku. Construction of a nuclear power station in this area was planned as far back as the USSR period.
Oil and gas are produced in Azerbaijan by the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) and foreign companies. The hydrocarbons are exported via pipelines and processed in two Baku oil-refineries.
Azerbaijan is intensively searching for alternative energy sources. Besides the nuclear power station, there are plans to construct wind power stations. However, experts believe wind power stations will not be able to meet energy demands completely.
"Given Azerbaijan's oil reserves it is too early to construct a nuclear power station in the country," he said.