ArmInfo. First block of Armenian nuclear power plant will be decommissioned. The draft of relevant draft law has already been submitted to the Government of Armenia. ArmInfo reporter was informed by Deputy Minister of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources of Armenia Hayk Artyunyan.
According to him, first unit is not operated for a long period of time, but there is a need for its complete decommissioning. The Deputy Minister stressed that there are calculations on the financial component of this project. To this end, a special extra budgetary fund has been set up, to which a certain amount, which is set in the tariff for the nuclear power plant, is annually transferred. Deputy minister did not specify the terms for decommissioning the block and the amount of investment for the project, urging them to await the government's decision. Earlier, Advisor of Minister of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources of Armenia Areg Galstyan reported that the cost of the decommissioning project is about $ 150 million. About $ 1 million is accumulated annually in the off-budget fund, which is not enough to solve the problem. For this reason, the government intends to negotiate with donors for the purpose of attracting loans and grants.
First unit of Armenian nuclear power plant was put into operation in December 1976. In 1988, after a strong Spitak earthquake, he, like the second block, was stopped. In 1995, the second power unit was re- commissioned, and the first was left in the "frozen state". Moreover, part of the equipment of the first power unit was used at the second power unit during its re-commissioning.