ArmInfo. The second stage of implementation of program on extending life of Armenian NPP is to start in May 2017. This was announced during April 4 meeting in the Ministry of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources of the Republic of Armenia. According to the press service of the Ministry, during the meeting the first stage of implementation was discussed and also the preparation to the second stage. Instructions, received during last meeting were presented.
Generalizing the results of the meeting, the Minister of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources of Armenia Ashot Manukyan made instructions in accordance with questions asked.
To note, the second stage of the program will begin in May 10th, when power unit N2 of the NPP will be stopped for scheduled preventive maintenance for a period of 60 days and refueling.
To recall, this March is the 3rd year from moment the Armenian Government took decision to modernize the 2nd unit of the NPP. The project for extending the exploitation of the unit No. 2 is being implemented by the subsidiary of the State Corporation "Rosatom" JSC "Rusatom Service". According to Armenian NPP Director General Movses Vardanyan, during the passed years, Armenian nuclear scientists and specialists of the "Rusatom-Service" company managed to carry out a grandiose amount of work by joint efforts. Within the framework of the first stage, a comprehensive survey of the system for the construction of the components of the 2nd power unit of the NPP was completed, a preliminary assessment was made of the possibility of extending the life of the main equipment, pipelines of the reactor installation, buildings and structures, and a program for preparing the power unit No. 2 for an additional service life. On the second stage, during the preventive maintenance in 2016, the metal and welded joints of equipment and pipelines of the reactor, including the reactor vessel and steam generators were checked. Besides that, a tool armed investigation and justification of the NPP equipment remainder reseach in conformance to the volume planed for 2016. The Russian specialist provided the modification of a number of inspection programs, prepared and hand over more then 80 complete projects to the Armenian side. Currently, the calculations for strength are carried, justifications are prepared on the possibility of extending the life of the equipment. The Armenian side, in its turn, provides the survey conclusions on the equipment metal conditions (totally over 2000 units), necessary to make a list of equipment that need to be changed.
Movses Vardanyan praised the cooperation with "Rusatom Service". According to him, the planned timing is respected, while several kinds of work are managed to be done earlier of the term.
In March 2014 the Armenian Government took a decision on extension of ANPP Unit 2 lifetime. Rosatom and the local specialists and experts agreed to work on the Project on Operation Lifetime Extension for 10 years - until 2026. Russia lent USD 270 mln and granted USD 30 mln to Armenia for this purpose.
In March 2015, a Joint Coordinating Committee was created on implementing the interstate agreement on extending the life of NPP of December 20, 2014, aimed at coordinating works within the project, completing the timing in time, making assessments of the results. Three meeting were held by now, on October 7 2015, on April 20 and December 2 of 2016.
