Andrey Grozin, expert of CIS Institute

– Azerbaijan seeks to diversify its energy resources

“Azerbaijan’s initiative may be a matter of image,” Andrey Grozin, expert of CIS Institute, said while commenting on Azerbaijan’s initiative at the last IAEA General Conference.

To remind, during the 51st IAEA General Conference in Vienna the director of the Radiation Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan Adil Garibov said that his country would like to build a nuclear power plant. If supported, this project may start in 2009 and be finished by 2025. Experts say that Azerbaijan’s oil and gas resources will end in some 25–30 years. So, the country will have to pass to other sources of energy.

“This is a serious project and it will take much time. For example, Kazakhstan has long been planning to build an NPP. They even say they have a site for it. But they can’t yet decide who will be their contractor and what type of reactor it will be.”

“Economy is the key aspect here. Just remember the Iranian program. Iran has much more oil and gas than Azerbaijan but still wants to diversify its energy sector. The same is for Azerbaijan. Now that the oil and gas prices are growing, that country is beginning to realize that it has to save its resources.”