Yevgeny Salkov:  Cooperation between JSC Rusatom Service and Armenian NPP is rather fruitful and constructive

ArmInfo. The Cooperation between JSC Rusatom Service (integrator of ROSATOM' service offerings) and Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in the Lifetime Extension Project of unit No.2 of Armenian NPP is quite fruitful and constructive, Yevgeny Salkov, JSC Rusatom Service Director General, said in response to ArmInfo's question on September 9.

He said that in 2015-2016, the equipment at the plant was surveyed comprehensively (4,500 units of equipment) and plant's entire staff was involved in that process.  "Such large-scale work speaks of the fruitful cooperation of the two countries' specialists who implemented the given project timely and properly," Yevgeny Salkov said adding that JSC Rusatom Service has opened an office at the Moscow House Business and Culture Center in the heart of Yerevan.

According to Salkov, the comprehensive survey enabled examining all the systems, which was necessary for implementation of the project. 15 Russian specialists were involved in the process and each of them has made a report on it. On the basis of those 15 reports a summary was drafted, which will become a basis for preparation of a large-scale project to modernize the unit No.2 of the Armenian NPP. "The results of the comprehensive survey show that the lifetime can be extended," Salkov said.

Speaking about the risks of the project's implementation, Director General of JSC Rusatom Service said they are standard. It is necessary to carry out huge work within a short term - 5 years, he said. It is necessary to buy a big quantity of equipment, the production of which will take at least a year and even more. To produce the necessary equipment, it is anticipated that Nyzhegorod Armenergoproject will draft a project that will be submitted to various instances and the producers will receive many technical requirements. There are some logistic problems too. "The experts engaged in the issue have developed several logistic routes to supply the large- size equipment to Armenia," Salkov said adding that the Armenian NPP will modernize not only the power-generating unit but also the access routes. The power generator alone weights 247 tons. A special carriage is needed to deliver it, he said.

In December 2014 and February 2015 the governments of the Republic of Armenia and Russian Federation signed agreements on cooperation in the project for extension of operation of unit-2 and extension of a state export loan to the government of the Republic of Armenia.  Both agreements have come into force and the work has commenced.

To note, the Armenian NPP consists of two power units with the capacity of 400 megawatt each. But only one of these two power units is operating at present. The first unit was commissioned in 1976, the second one in 1980. At the beginning of 1989, the plant was decommissioned following the Spitak earthquake in December 1988. In early 1995 the second unit was re-launched. The ANPP's power output makes up nearly 40% of the total power generated in the republic. In March 2014, the Government adopted a decision to extend the lifetime of the unit No.2 of the NPP in view of the delay with the construction of the new power unit.  At the current stage, the Lifetime Extension Project of unit No.2 of Armenian NPP is being implemented with the participation of Rusatom Service's specialists. The NPP will be modernized at the expense of the Russian  $270 mln loan and the Russian $30 mln grant funds.  The project will be implemented by the late 2019.   The power supply problem in the country will be finally settled after the construction of the new nuclear power generating unit that will cost the country $5 billion.