ArmInfo. On October 16, the seventh meeting of the Joint Coordination Committee for the project of extending the life of the 2nd unit of the Armenian NPP was held in Yerevan.
The meeting participants discussed the results of work for 2018, preparation for implementation of works in 2019, as well as a plan of measures to extend the duration of the Intergovernmental Agreement on cooperation in extending the service life of the 2nd unit of the NPP. The parties noted the effectiveness of the work already performed to modernize the equipment of the turbine hall of the station. The modernization of the nuclear power plant is carried out in order to improve the efficiency, efficiency, reliability and other operational characteristics of the power unit.
The meeting participants also discussed bilateral cooperation between Russia and Armenia in the humanitarian sphere and training of personnel for the nuclear power industry. This year, a selection was made of candidates from Armenia who wish to get higher education in the field of nuclear energy in Russian universities: 4 candidates successfully passed interviews and were enrolled in quota to the magistracy of MEPhI. Also, according to the results of the annual Olympiad in physics and mathematics among high school students of Armenia, the winners and prize-winners will receive benefits for admission and the possibility of free education at leading technical universities of the Russian Federation, including the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI. Recall that the Armenian NPP consists of two units with Soviet (Russian) VVER reactors. The first block was commissioned in 1976, the second - in 1980. In March 1989, after the Spitak earthquake, which killed 25 thousand people, the station was stopped. In November 1995, in connection with the acute energy crisis, the second power unit of the plant with a capacity of 407.5 MW was activated. In March 2014, the Armenian government decided to extend the life of the second power unit by 10 years - until 2026. Completion is scheduled for 2019. The government of the Russian Federation has allocated Armenia for these purposes a state export credit in the amount of $ 270 million and a grant of $ 30 million.
