ArmInfo. Rosatom and representatives of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant have confirmed the safety of operating the plant’s second unit until 2031, TASS reports, citing a statement by the Russian state corporation.
The fifth meeting of the Joint Coordination Committee was held in Yerevan with the participation of representatives of Armenia, Rosatom and its enterprises. The participants discussed the implementation of the project to extend once again the operating life of Unit No. 2 of the Armenian NPP, as well as the results of work carried out by Russian and Armenian specialists in 2024-2026.
As part of the project, buildings and structures with a total area of 15,890 sq. m were surveyed. In addition, documents confirming the possibility of safely operating the reactor unit until 2031 were developed and approved.
Following the meeting, the parties agreed on a plan for implementing measures for 2027-2030.
As Yevgeny Salkov, General Director of Rosatom Service JSC, reported, a set of measures to improve the key systems of the Armenian NPP is planned for 2027. These measures are intended to ensure the plant’s continued efficient operation through 2036.
The Armenian NPP is located near the city of Metsamor and has two power units with VVER-440 reactors designed for operation in seismic conditions. The first power unit was commissioned in December 1976, and the second in January 1980.
Following the Spitak earthquake in December 1988, the plant was shut down in March 1989. The second power unit resumed operation in November 1995. With the participation of Rosatom, its operating life was previously extended until 2026.
The project to extend once again the operating life of the second power unit of the Armenian NPP was launched in 2023. In December, Rosatom Service JSC and the plant’s operator, Armenian Atomic Energy Company CJSC, signed a framework contract to implement the measures of the PSE- 2 program, which provides for the creation of conditions for operating the power unit until 2036.
As part of the project, a detailed inspection of the equipment, recovery annealing of the reactor vessel, and modernization of safety systems and automated control systems are being carried out. All work is performed in accordance with the requirements of regulatory authorities and IAEA international standards.
