Re-extension of Armenian NPP operation term will last until 2026 - NPP General Director
SOCHI, March 26. /ARKA/. Implementation of a program designed to extend the service life of the Armenian NPP for another 10 years has already started, NPP General Director Eduard Martirosyan told Armenian journalists on the margins of Atomexpo-2024 forum in Russian Sochi (March 25-26). He said the program is expected to be accomplished until 2026.
Martirosyan noted that in December 2023, the Armenian government allocated $65 million for these purposes, and an agreement was signed between the ANPP and Rusatom-Service JSC, a subsidiary of Rosatom State Corporation.
"We have to carry out these work until 2026 to successfully obtain a license and extend the life of our plant for another 10 years," Martirosyan said in response to a question from the ARKA news agency.
In his turn, Rusatom-Service JSC general director Yevgeny Salkov noted that before the next meeting, which will be held in the very near future, a general schedule for the execution of work will be drawn up.
‘Everything is going according to the plan," he said, stressing that the re-prolongation program is a joint Russian-Armenian project.
Salkov confirmed that Armenian and Russian partner companies and research institutes will be involved in the project.
The Armenian nuclear power plant, the only one in the South Caucasus region, is located near the town of Metsamor, about 30 kilometers west of Yerevan. It accounts for about 40% of the country's electricity generation.
The government has already extended the facility's lifespan by ten years until 2026 after a major modernization and technical upgrade.
Armenian authorities want to build a new nuclear power plant with a capacity of about 1000-1200 MW. Several options are being considered - either construction of a power unit with a capacity of about 1000 or 1200 MW, or two units of 1000 MW each.
Tentatively, the new NPP will be built on the territory adjacent to the existing NPP (about 80 hectares) and will allow using part of the existing infrastructure. -0-
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