Armenia’s nuclear power plant to be brought to a halt for partial refuelling and regular repairs
14.10.2010,
00:25
Armenia’s nuclear power plant in Metsamor will be brought to a halt October 16 for a partial refuelling and regular repairs, its executive director Gagik Markosian told ARKA.
YEREVAN, October 13, /ARKA/. Armenia’s nuclear power plant in Metsamor will be brought to a halt October 16 for a partial refuelling and regular repairs, its executive director Gagik Markosian told ARKA.
He said the plant will again be operational in 55 days. The halt will be used also to raise its operational safety, he added. He said the plant generated 2.081 billion KWh in the first nine months of the year, by 5% more than in the same time span last year.
The plant is located some 30 kilometers west of Yerevan. It was built in the 1970s but was closed following a devastating earthquake in 1988. One of its two VVER 440-V230 light-water reactors was reactivated in 1995. Armenian authorities said they will build a new nuclear power plant to replace the aging Metsamor plant. The new plant is supposed to operate at twice the capacity of the Soviet-constructed facility. Metsamor currently generates some 40 percent of Armenia's electricity.
Australian company Worley Parsons has been selected to manage the project. The Armenian government has yet to attract funding for the project that was estimated by a U.S.-funded feasibility study to cost at as much as $5 billion. -0-
He said the plant will again be operational in 55 days. The halt will be used also to raise its operational safety, he added. He said the plant generated 2.081 billion KWh in the first nine months of the year, by 5% more than in the same time span last year.
The plant is located some 30 kilometers west of Yerevan. It was built in the 1970s but was closed following a devastating earthquake in 1988. One of its two VVER 440-V230 light-water reactors was reactivated in 1995. Armenian authorities said they will build a new nuclear power plant to replace the aging Metsamor plant. The new plant is supposed to operate at twice the capacity of the Soviet-constructed facility. Metsamor currently generates some 40 percent of Armenia's electricity.
Australian company Worley Parsons has been selected to manage the project. The Armenian government has yet to attract funding for the project that was estimated by a U.S.-funded feasibility study to cost at as much as $5 billion. -0-
