Armenia’s nuclear power plant resumes electricity generation
09.04.2011,
00:55
Armenia’s nuclear power plant in Metsamor has resumed today electricity generation that was halted temporarily last Sunday because of repair and cleaning work.
YEREVAN, April 8. / ARKA Armenia’s nuclear power plant in Metsamor has resumed today electricity generation that was halted temporarily last Sunday because of repair and cleaning work, the ministry of energy and natural resources said today.
The ministry said the operating second unit of the power plant joined the national power grid at 5.23 pm April 7. It said the repair and cleaning work continues. The plant will resume full power generation on April 19.
The Metsamor plant, which accounts for about 40 percent of Armenia's electricity, has undergone numerous safety upgrades since being reactivated in 1995. According to government figures, Armenia has received $130 million worth of assistance from the United States, the European Union, Russia and other international bodies to upgrade the plant’s safety. The plant located some 30 kilometers west of Yerevan, was built in the 1970s but was closed following a devastating earthquake in 1988 that killed some 25,000 people and devastated much of northern Armenia.
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.-0-
The ministry said the operating second unit of the power plant joined the national power grid at 5.23 pm April 7. It said the repair and cleaning work continues. The plant will resume full power generation on April 19.
The Metsamor plant, which accounts for about 40 percent of Armenia's electricity, has undergone numerous safety upgrades since being reactivated in 1995. According to government figures, Armenia has received $130 million worth of assistance from the United States, the European Union, Russia and other international bodies to upgrade the plant’s safety. The plant located some 30 kilometers west of Yerevan, was built in the 1970s but was closed following a devastating earthquake in 1988 that killed some 25,000 people and devastated much of northern Armenia.
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.-0-
