Armenia’s Metsamor Nuclear Plant: A “Ticking Time Bomb” and the “Next Chernobyl,” Experts Warn

Kokcha News Agency: The Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant, a Soviet-era facility in Armenia, is under scrutiny as experts warn it poses a significant risk of disaster. Built in 1976, the plant supplies approximately 40% of Armenia’s electricity and is located just 35 kilometers from the capital, Yerevan, and 16 kilometers from the Turkish border. Despite its critical role in the country’s energy infrastructure, the plant’s outdated technology and location in a high-risk earthquake zone have led to fears of a potential nuclear catastrophe.

The plant was shut down for six years following the devastating Spitak earthquake in 1988 but was reopened in 1995 despite widespread concerns. Since then, international experts have repeatedly warned about the plant’s safety, with some calling it a “waiting Chernobyl.”

“It Could Explode at Any Moment”

Dr. Peter Marko Tase, a South Caucasus expert, highlighted the plant’s technological obsolescence and economic inadequacies, which he says make it a significant safety risk. “The risk of this reactor causing a disaster is very high. In the event of an explosion, it could lead to soil, water, and air pollution, much like Chernobyl, and its effects could be felt in European skies for years,” Tase told Daily Mail.

International Warnings Persist

Experts have long warned about the plant’s precarious location on an active seismic fault line and its structural inadequacies. Even before its reopening in 1995, concerns were raised. Viktoria Ter-Nikogossian, a former advisor to the Armenian Parliament’s Environmental Committee, stated at the time, “This nuclear plant will never be safe. A potential accident would be the end of Armenia.” Morris Rosen from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) described the plant’s design as “clearly inadequate.”

Russia’s Ongoing Influence

The plant continues to operate with technical support from Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear energy company. Dr. Tase noted that this arrangement allows Russia to maintain significant influence over energy policies in the South Caucasus. Rosatom is expected to modernize one of the plant’s two reactors, but the implementation of an agreement signed in December 2023 remains uncertain.

Call for International Intervention

Dr. Tase has called for urgent international intervention to address the threat posed by Metsamor. “The EU and the U.S. must act immediately to deactivate this nuclear time bomb,” he said, emphasizing that the plant represents a serious risk to global security.

Plant officials, however, defend the facility, claiming it is built on a solid basalt block and that safety measures have been enhanced over the years.