Project to modernize and extend service life of Armenian NPP completed

YEREVAN, November 16. /ARKA/. The head of the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom Alexei Likhachev on Tuesday visited the Armenian nuclear power plant on the occasion of the completion of the project designed to modernize the facility for extending its service life until 2026, the press service of Rosatom reported.

“This is a key Armenian-Russian project in the field of atomic energy. The main task is restoring the resource of the Armenian NPP, increasing the level of its safety and efficiency,” Rosatom said.

The modernization of the plant began in 2015. A large amount of work was done at the nuclear power plant to improve its safety, check and replace part of the equipment.

As a result its energy generating capacity has increased by 15% with the same consumption of nuclear fuel. One of the most important measures taken at the NPP was the annealing of the reactor vessel, which helped restore the properties of the metal by 85%.

“The Armenian NPP plays a decisive role in ensuring energy security and independence of our country. Without exaggeration, this large-scale project can be called one of the most important in Armenia," said Armenian Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Gnel Sanosyan.

The Armenian Nuclear Power 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. 

In March 2014, Armenian government decided to extend the plant’s service life up to 2026. The service life extension became possible thanks to Russia’s financial resources. The country provided $270 million to Armenia as a loan and $30 million as a grant. -0-