ArmInfo. The agreement on a comprehensive and expanded partnership, which Armenia intends to sign with the European Union, provides for the closure of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (ANPP). Commenting on this fact, the press secretary of the Minister of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources of the Republic of Armenia Vasak Tarposhyan noted that according to the draft document, the station can be closed while creating the appropriate capacities.
"The resource of the second power unit of the Armenian nuclear power plant is not infinite, and one day it will be decommissioned," the spokesman said, adding that now the NPP is implementing a program to extend the lifetime of the N2 power unit by 10 years - until 2026. "After the expiry of this period, it will be clear when we put the unit out of operation," V.Tarposhyan mentioned.
It should be noted that in the section of energy cooperation the agreement notes the need to close Metsamor NPP and its a replacement for other capacities that ensure Armenia's energy security. The EU has been questioning its closure for years, but the Armenian authorities categorically disagree, arguing that the station provides not only energy security and independence of the country's energy system, but also with its low tariff has a positive impact on the social and economic development of Armenia.
The Armenian nuclear power plant consists of two units with Soviet (Russian) WWER reactors. The first unit was commissioned in 1976, the second - in 1980. In March 1989, after the Spitak earthquake, which killed 25 thousand people, the station's work was stopped. In November 1995, in connection with the most acute energy crisis, the second power unit of the station with a capacity of 407.5 MW was involved. In March 2014, the Armenian government decided to extend the life of the second power unit by 10 years - until 2026. The project is coordinated by the subsidiary structure of the State Corporation Rosatom - JSC Rusatom Service. Completion of work is planned for 2019. The Government of the Russian Federation allocated a $ 270 million state export loan to Armenia and a $ 30 million grant for these purposes. In March 2015, the Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) was established to implement the program. So far, there have been five meetings of the JCC.