Second unit of Armenian NPP brought to halt for repairs

YEREVAN, May 5. /ARKA/. The second unit of the Armenian NPP was halted on Friday for scheduled preventive maintenance that will take 75 days, the facility said in a press release.

The repair will involve specialists from the Russian Federation, Croatia, the Czech Republic and other countries. The repair process will be supervised by the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Committee of Armenia. The restart of the power unit is scheduled for July 18.

Last year, the operation of the Armenian NPP was also stopped for 73 days during the scheduled preventive maintenance.

In late March 2023 the Armenian government announced the launch of a process aimed at extending the service life of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant for another 10 years until 2036.

The government had already extended the service life of the facility for ten years until 2026 following a massive upgrade and technical re-equipment.

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 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. It accounts now for about 40% of the total electricity generation of the country.

In March 2014, the Armenian government decided to extend the plant’s service life up to 2026. The plan was financed by $270 million Russian loan and a $30 million grant.

In June, 2022 the Armenian NPP CJSC and the Rusatom Overseas JSC (a division of Russian Rosatom) signed a MoU to start preparations for building a new nuclear power unit in Armenia. --0-