Turkish Atomic Energy Agency: No leakage from Armenia’s Metsamor reactor
09.05.2007
Today’s Zaman Ankara
The Turkish Atomic Energy Agency (TAEK) has said that there has been no radioactive leakage from the Armenian Metsamor Nuclear Reactor, located on the border between Turkey and Armenia.
“None of the radioactivity analyses or RESAI station measurements done up until now have uncovered radioactivity or radiation levels above normal,” said TAEK officials. The body was responding to an earlier article by Today’s Zaman that indicated the plant was experiencing radioactive leakage. “Your newspaper’s April 11, 2007 edition had an article entitled ‘Data shows increased radioactive leakage from Metsamor’. This article contained news which indicated that data taken from 13 TAEK warning stations around Iğdir and Kars showed an increase in radioactive leakage from the Metsamor reactor,” TAEK stated, before going on to refute the claims.
The Armenian Metsamor Nuclear Reactor, which is composed of two WWER-440-230 units, each with power levels of 408 mega watts, is located not far from the capital Yerevan, 16 kilometers from the Turkish border. The Armenian government decided to open the second unit in the reactor in 1993, due to high energy needs, and thus the second unit was started up in 1995. The Metsamor reactor provides up to 40 percent of Armenia’s electricity needs, and is predicted to continue doing so until 2016. Since Yerevan decided upgrade the reactor TAEK has been involved in following related developments and taking the necessary precautions from the Turkish side.
An important part of taking necessary actions in the wake of a possible nuclear power plant accident is the timely access to correct information after the accident. Along these lines, Turkey is a supporter of all international accords on early warning in the case of nuclear reactor accidents. One of TAEK’s actions has been to set up a national early warning system, RESA, with regards to nuclear reactors in neighboring countries. This system works 24-hours-a-day, and with the help of 78 stations set up throughout Turkey, takes constant measurements of radiation levels. When airborne gamma radiation rises above threshold levels, this system automatically warns the TAEK Crisis Center in Ankara. Of these 78 stations, 14 are grouped in the region that lies near the Metsamor reactor.
In order to keep close watch over the Turkish regions that could theoretically be affected by radiation or radioactivity from the Metsamor reactor, TAEK along with various ministries, institutes and foundations, has formed a tight infrastructure of control in the area. Kafkas University, located in the Kars province, has a laboratory established in 1995 that takes environmental measurements and carries out analyses of the situation in the region. This laboratory also carries out sample analyses of local soil, plant, and food. Both the Environment and Forestry Ministry and TAEK take soil and underground water samples from four Turkish cities near the Metsamor reactor and test them every six months for warning signs of increased radiation and radioactivity. In 2006, these tests were enlarged to cover 81 different towns and cities, as well as to include plant and food samples.
Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.
Today’s Zaman Ankara
The Turkish Atomic Energy Agency (TAEK) has said that there has been no radioactive leakage from the Armenian Metsamor Nuclear Reactor, located on the border between Turkey and Armenia.
“None of the radioactivity analyses or RESAI station measurements done up until now have uncovered radioactivity or radiation levels above normal,” said TAEK officials. The body was responding to an earlier article by Today’s Zaman that indicated the plant was experiencing radioactive leakage. “Your newspaper’s April 11, 2007 edition had an article entitled ‘Data shows increased radioactive leakage from Metsamor’. This article contained news which indicated that data taken from 13 TAEK warning stations around Iğdir and Kars showed an increase in radioactive leakage from the Metsamor reactor,” TAEK stated, before going on to refute the claims.
The Armenian Metsamor Nuclear Reactor, which is composed of two WWER-440-230 units, each with power levels of 408 mega watts, is located not far from the capital Yerevan, 16 kilometers from the Turkish border. The Armenian government decided to open the second unit in the reactor in 1993, due to high energy needs, and thus the second unit was started up in 1995. The Metsamor reactor provides up to 40 percent of Armenia’s electricity needs, and is predicted to continue doing so until 2016. Since Yerevan decided upgrade the reactor TAEK has been involved in following related developments and taking the necessary precautions from the Turkish side.
An important part of taking necessary actions in the wake of a possible nuclear power plant accident is the timely access to correct information after the accident. Along these lines, Turkey is a supporter of all international accords on early warning in the case of nuclear reactor accidents. One of TAEK’s actions has been to set up a national early warning system, RESA, with regards to nuclear reactors in neighboring countries. This system works 24-hours-a-day, and with the help of 78 stations set up throughout Turkey, takes constant measurements of radiation levels. When airborne gamma radiation rises above threshold levels, this system automatically warns the TAEK Crisis Center in Ankara. Of these 78 stations, 14 are grouped in the region that lies near the Metsamor reactor.
In order to keep close watch over the Turkish regions that could theoretically be affected by radiation or radioactivity from the Metsamor reactor, TAEK along with various ministries, institutes and foundations, has formed a tight infrastructure of control in the area. Kafkas University, located in the Kars province, has a laboratory established in 1995 that takes environmental measurements and carries out analyses of the situation in the region. This laboratory also carries out sample analyses of local soil, plant, and food. Both the Environment and Forestry Ministry and TAEK take soil and underground water samples from four Turkish cities near the Metsamor reactor and test them every six months for warning signs of increased radiation and radioactivity. In 2006, these tests were enlarged to cover 81 different towns and cities, as well as to include plant and food samples.
Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.
Labels: Armenia - Energy, Turkey
posted by Vahe Balabanian at 9:19 AM
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