27.09.2019
Professor: $ 200 million used within the project to extend the life of the Armenian NPP
ArmInfo. Armenia is negotiating with the Russian Federation to attract unused financial resources from a loan of $ 270 million provided earlier for a program to extend the life of the second unit of the Armenian nuclear power plant. The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant CJSC, General Director of the Armatom Research Institute, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor Vahram Petrosyan announced this on September 26 at a press conference in Yerevan.
According to him, $ 200 million was used as part of the extension project, negotiations are ongoing on the remaining $ 70 million. These funds, the professor continued, are needed to complete the program. In particular, overhaul of the cooling tower is required, it is necessary to anneal the metal of the reactor vessel, to improve the emergency cooling system of the zone. These works are scheduled for 2021. In case the negotiations fail, the Armenian side will have to find its own resources, Vahram Petrosyan noted. Answering a question from ArmInfo, Vahram Petrosyan said that work is currently underway to develop a report on further activities of the Armenian NPP in order to obtain another license from the regulator, taking into account the program implemented at the station. He recalled that the current license expires in 2021. As a rule, the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Committee gives approval for the operation of nuclear power plants for a period of 10 years. Work on the preparation of the report has already begun, it is being carried out with the assistance of the United States, the professor continued, adding that the first two chapters of the report, which have been sent to the nuclear power plant on September 25, are ready. After the work on the report is completed, the document will be sent to the regulator to obtain another license for a period of 10 years.
Vahram Petrosyan did not rule out the possibility of extending the term of operation of the nuclear power plant even after 2026. "The station can work out without problems until 2036," he said, adding that according to the results of the reactor vessel inspections, it ca ben stated that it is in good condition.
The main objectives of the project funded by the Russian Federation to extend the life of the 2nd unit of the Armenian nuclear power plant are to restore the resource and extend the operation of the station to 10 years (until 2026), increase the level of safety and efficiency of nuclear power plants. This year, it is planned to replace the second turbogenerator at the station, the automatic control system, and carry out repair work on the cooling towers. In addition, work will be carried out to prepare for the treatment of the reactor dome, which will be heat treated (annealed) in order to increase its strength to resist neutron fluxes. Annealing itself will be carried out in 2020. All work on the project will be completed by the end of 2021. The Armenian NPP consists of two units with Soviet (Russian) VVER reactors. The first unit was commissioned in 1976, the second - in 1980. In March 1989, after the Spitak earthquake, which killed 25 thousand people, the station was stopped. In November 1995, in connection with the most acute energy crisis, the second power unit of the station with a capacity of 407.5 MW was activated. In March 2014, the Armenian government decided to extend the life of the second power unit by 10 years - until 2026. The