Armenian nuke plant operation suspended for scheduled repair

PanARMENIAN.Net - The operation of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) has been suspended for scheduled annual repair, refueling and safety boosting measures.

According to the press office of the Ministry of Energy and natural Resources, the works will be carried out during 54 days, after which the NPP will be re-launched on Nov 16.

Earlier this month, Energy Minister Armen Movsisyan announced that the operation term of Armenian Nuclear Power Plant will be extended till 2026 despite objections voiced by the EU.

The agreement to implement the project on extension of the NPP operation term was reached following the Sept 3 talks between Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, with Rosatom and Armenian experts to be involved in the project.

Besides, Armenian and Belgian experts, who became mandatory after the Japan’s Fukushima disaster, are working on the stress tests to be performed at the NPP.

Also, the government of Armenia decreed to provide a license to Armenian Nuclear Power Plant CJSC for nuclear agents’ export to Russia.

Armenian Nuclear Power Plant has already singed a nuke agents’ export deal with Russia’s TVEL Ltd. The NPP, currently operative, was launched in 1976. The plant was shut down over political reasons in 1989, with a 404-megawatt NPP unit re-launched in 1995.

Armenia is planning to build a new 1000-megawatt unit, with an estimated implementation cost of $5 billion.

TVEL Ltd. is a Russian manufacturer of nuclear fuel, with 100% of company’s stocks owned by Atomenergoprom OJSC; the company unites Russian civil nuclear industry.