Shoyigu: The U.S. Plan to Build a Small Reactor in Armenia Constitutes a Threat
Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu said that if the U.S. plans to build a small reactor in Armenia, Russia would have no choice but to regard it as a new nuclear safety threat.
According to RIA Novosti, Shoigu pointed out that if Armenia begins using U.S. technology to build a small reactor, Russia would be forced to assess the new nuclear safety-related risks that would arise.
Shoigu said that the region is prone to earthquakes, and Soviet engineers used a unique design when building the Armenian nuclear power plant, allowing it to withstand the devastating earthquake of 1988.
He emphasized that Russia must consider the situation where "U.S. experiments in atomic energy technology" will appear in the surrounding area.
Russian Security Council Secretary believes this situation can be regarded as a threat. He recalled that a similar accident occurred at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan, where an earthquake destroyed a U.S.-designed reactor, causing widespread radioactive pollution.
Additionally, Shoigu said that the U.S. does not have the technology for processing spent nuclear fuel. If a small reactor using U.S. technology were to appear in Armenia, the spent fuel would be directly stored within the country, which would also bring long-term risks.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance previously announced that the U.S. would provide small modular reactors to Armenia based on a cooperation agreement in the nuclear energy sector.
Russian President's Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov stated that compared to similar U.S. projects, Russia's nuclear energy projects have higher technical standards and lower costs.
Original: toutiao.com/article/7606365605793956386/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.