Due to climate change, Armenia will make water withdrawal from Araks River for 5 months every year arka.am - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from arka.am Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Armenia s Metsamor nuclear power plant cooling towers. Credit: Adam Jones via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 2.0.
In late 2020, the Armenian government announced that its Metsamor nuclear power plant would close for five months in 2021 to attempt significant upgrades. Soon after, the EU urged Armenia to make the closure permanent since the plant “cannot be updated to fully meet internationally accepted safety standards.” A major nuclear or radiation accident at Metsamor would not only affect the people of Armenia, but citizens in neighboring Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia, and southern Europe. Besides, Armenia can meet its energy needs without Metsamor’s output, especially as it exports to Iran over half of the plant’s electricity. Further, thermal plants and renewable sources could replace what is used domestically. Metsamor does not even help Armenia achieve its declared goal of energy independence, as Russia–Armenia’s main energy supplier–provides the countr