ArmInfo. The extension of operation of the Armenian NPP is estimated at $150mln, Gera Sevikyan, Advisor to the Director General of the Armenian NPP, told ArmInfo.
According to him, it is planned that about $45-50 million of this amount will come from the Russian loan, and the rest will be attracted from the state budget. The adviser to the general director also noted that the plant is awaiting the decision of the RA government to carry out the work, in accordance with which the sources of financing will be finally determined. "It is very important for us that the conditions for attracting credit resources are acceptable, what will the Russian partners have to do, and what will we do," Sevikyan said, adding at the same time that the first phase of the project has almost already begun. So far, the plant is carrying out a comprehensive inspection of the main equipment and assemblies on its own within the framework of scheduled preventive maintenance, however, there is no talk yet about concluding agreements with suppliers of equipment and services.
Earlier, Armenia's Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures Gnel Sanosyan noted that in order to implement the program in 2024-2025. A huge amount of work is planned to be carried out at the Armenian NPP. According to him, every year the station stops for scheduled preventive maintenance for a period of 50-70 days, and the next year will not be an exception. The ANPP has a license to operate the station until 2026. Before that, large-scale work will be carried out at the ANPP during 2024-2025, which will extend the life of the ANPP by another 10 years - until 2036. In parallel with the program for extending the life of the station, active discussions are underway on the project for the construction of a new nuclear power unit. This work will continue next year, the minister noted.
He added that a difficult decision needs to be made on this issue, ranging from financial to political and energy. "There are numerous components. The problem is that the new blocks are being built taking into account their operation for 60 years and the possibility of prolonging this period for another 40 years. That is, the new blocks are designed for 100 years, and we must make the right decision by the end of 2023 so that the new block with its capacities fits into the country's overall energy system," Sanosyan said.
Units of various capacities are currently being discussed in Armenia. In order to make a final decision, an interdepartmental working group was formed by a resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers. As noted by Armenian experts, in the current situation it becomes necessary to provide legal and administrative- organizational conditions for the start of practical actions in the near future. In particular, we are talking about the adoption of a new version of the law "On the Construction of a New Nuclear Energy Facility", the creation of an operating organization for nuclear facilities within the structure of the RA government, which will be endowed with functions similar to the Russian concern "Rosenergoatom" JSC with the appropriate status. It is also necessary to create a "Directorate of the ANPP-2 under construction", to form a list of local enterprises that have sufficient potential to supply the equipment and materials necessary for both projects, as well as to carry out design and survey, construction and commissioning works, with the possibility of concluding direct contracts (out of tenders) with the Directorate of the ANPP-2 under construction.
