Ministry of Energy of Armenia: The second stage of implementation of program on extending life of Armenian NPP is to start in May 2017

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.