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The Armenian Nuclear Power Plant ((アルメニア語:Հայկական ատոմային էլեկտրակայան)), commonly known as the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant, was built during the 1970s, only 36 kilometres west of the Armenian capital of Yerevan in the town of Metsamor. The plant was constructed with two VVER-440 Model V270 nuclear reactors.〔(Nuclear Energy in Armenia )〕 Unit 1 was shut down in 1989, but unit 2 is expected to receive a life extension enabling it to operate to 2017.〔 The Metsamor plant is one of just a few remaining nuclear power reactors that were built without a secondary containment structure. The power plant produces about 40% of Armenia's electricity. It was closed due to the 1988 earthquake in Armenia and reopened in 1993. The Unit 2 reactor was brought back into operation on October 26, 1995.〔(Nuclear Facilities: Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant )〕 The plant has been operated by Russian company Inter RAO UES since 2003, as part of a five-year term to help pay off Armenia's debts. Metsamor NPP lies near earthquake-prone terrain. The plant was built to withstand up to a 9-magnitude earthquake,〔http://www.armenianow.com/news/40718/armenia_nuclear_power_plant_turkey〕 and the reactor is cooled by a second contour, which is a separate system, a separate barrier.〔http://www.azatutyun.am/content/article/2338090.html〕 However, it does not have a secondary containment which would absorb dangerous elements in case of an accident.〔http://www.armenianow.com/news/28259/japan_tsunami_armenian_nuclear_power_plant〕 ==Recent unit 2 developments== Hakob Sanasaryan, an Armenian chemist and environmentalist campaigner and head of the Green Union of Armenia, claimed in 2003 that the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant did not meet internationally accepted nuclear safety standards, due to the lack of a containment vessel.〔(Armenia: Reopening Metsamor )〕 The E.U. reportedly had classified the VVER 440 Model V230 light water-cooled reactors as the "oldest and least reliable" category of all the 66 Soviet reactors built in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.〔(Armenia Presses Ahead with Nuclear Power Plant Construction )〕 However the IAEA has found that the Metsamor NPP has adequate safety and can function beyond its design lifespan.〔(International Experts Find Adequate Safety At Armenian Nuclear Plant )〕 In December 2008, the Armenian government's progress in meeting international safety standards regarding its use of nuclear energy at the Metsamor NPP were praised by Council on Nuclear Energy Safety Chairman Adolf Birkhofer who also praised the overall development of the energy system in the country.〔(Adolf Birkhofer Gives Armenian Atomic Energy Plant a Clean Bill of Health ) Hetq Daily, December 2, 2008〕 In the wake of Japan's 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis, the combination of design and location of Metsamor was again claimed to make it among the most dangerous nuclear plants in the world. The Metsamor power station is one of the few remaining nuclear reactors of its kind that were built without primary containment structures.〔 However, the IAEA has found that the plant has adequate safety and can function beyond its design lifespan. Armenian authorities and nuclear experts have also dismissed the possibility of a repeat of Fukushima, citing numerous safety upgrades the plant has received since one of its reactors was restored into operation in 1995.〔 In October 2015 a life extension of unit 2 was agreed, to take place in 2017 and 2018, permitting it to operate until 2027. The work will include modernization of turbine hall equipment enabling unit 2's power output to increase by 15-18%. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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