"Atomic station is not a factory to close down"
The 158 employees of the atomic station are preparing to hold a protest and leave due to the administration's refusal to raise their salaries, but they are the employees without which the station can't function.
Suren Azatyan says the station's current administration and the RA Minister of Finance are doing everything possible so that the atomic station stops functioning.
"The atomic station is not a factory that we can just close and leave. It is a responsibility, but they don't want to take that responsibility. If they were heartfelt, they wouldn't take such a step," the former director said.
Azatyan says the government will face a new issue if it closes the station. "They are purchasing 1 kilowatts of energy for nearly 7 drams, which is lower than the price of energy that they would purchase from the station. In exchange, they are giving 40% energy, which they have to produce through thermal stations. This means that the government will purchase 1 kilowatts of energy at a higher price (20 drams) since it will not use gas."
The former director assures that if the Armenian atomic station stops functioning, the country will face a serious issue.
"The best experts will lose their jobs. I don't understand how the energy minister will explain his lies that there will be a new atomic station. If they are firing people and terminating the functioning of the current atomic station, how and through whom will they build the new atomic station? The new atomic station costs nearly 1 million dollars. How are they going to create it?" the former director said.
Suren Azatyan has been head of the atomic station from 1993 to 2002.
