Armenia to pick type of new NPP unit in 1-2 years: Deputy Minister

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia has 12-24 months to choose the type of a new nuclear power unit, Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Areg Galstyan said.

“We have approximately 10 years to start the construction of the new energy unit on the same place where the Metsamor NPP is located,” ARKA cited Galstyan as saying on the sidelines of the 60th conference of the IAEA in Vienna.

“We are 100 percent sure that the block will use a pressurized water reactor. We have one, maximum two years to make the final decision on the type of the project.”

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.

Armenian authorities said they will build a new nuclear power plant to replace the aging facility. The new plant is supposed to boast twice the capacity of the Soviet-constructed facility. The plant currently generates some 35 percent of Armenia's electricity.

In March 2014, Armenian government decided to extend the plant’s service life because of delay in building a new unit. The service life extension has become possible due to a $270 million Russian loan and $30 million grant.