ArmInfo.The role of the Armenian nuclear power plant for the energy system of Armenia and the entire socio-economic life of the republic is very large. On March 20, during a panel discussion "Prospects for Development Atomic Industry in Armenia" on UN National Energy Expert Ara Marjanyan stated.
According to him, for the period from 2003 to 2018, the share of power generation at the plant did not fall below 28% of the total output in the republic. True, in 2018 the share of the ANPP was only 26%, but this is the result of the start of work on the modernization of the second power unit of the plant. In certain periods, for example, from 2005 to 2009 the share of NPP exceeded 40%.
In addition, the ANPP is today the station with the lowest electricity tariff, about 1-1.5 cents. For example, in 2018, the electricity generated by the ANPP cost 3 drams, while it was 24 drams at the Yerevan TPP, 26 drams at the Hrazdan TPP and 38 drams at small hydropower plants. Thus, the expert stated that the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant reduced the system-wide cost of electricity, keeping it at a level acceptable for the economy and the population. The basic kind of the station in ensuring the energy security of the country has a significant role. "Neither small hydropower plants, nor renewable energy sources possess this valuable quality, and, therefore, cannot be considered as an alternative to the ANPP," the expert emphasized. In his opinion, in the foreseeable future, new facilities that actually affect the state's energy security can be either a new nuclear power unit or a new large hydroelectric power station on the Debit river with a multi-year regulation reservoir.
The consistent development of the nuclear power industry, Ara Marjanyan continued, is one of the four most important provisions of the energy strategy, and, more generally, the national security of Armenia. It was also confirmed by numerous comments by the RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the impossibility of closing the ANPP without creating the corresponding facilities. According to the expert, the modernization of the second power unit of the Armenian NPP will not only ensure the country's energy security until 2026, but will also significantly reduce greenhouse gases. "In the long term, the construction of a new nuclear unit and the consistent development of the entire cluster of knowledge, skills and technologies related to the ANPP to ensure sustainable socio-economic development of the republic will strengthen the energy and national security of the Republic of Armenia," the expert concluded.