ArmInfo.The process of certification of employees began at the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant. On November 5, Acting Minister of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources of the Republic of Armenia Garegin Baghramyan stated at a meeting of the parliamentary commission of inquiry into the validity of tariffs for electricity and gas.
According to him, taking into account the specifics of the object of strategic importance for the republic, the certification process is conducted carefully. "It is important to determine the qualification level of the persons holding this or that position," Garegin Baghramyan stressed. He noted that in 2018, the station, being on scheduled preventive maintenance and in the process of modernization, was idle for about six months, as a result of which, instead of the traditional 2.5 billion kW / h of electricity, it would produce about 1.8 billion kW / h. And this is a very significant reduction for the ANPP. However, in 2019, production from the station without additional volumes of fuel will increase, which will have a positive impact on the entire energy sector of the country.
Earlier, in an interview with ArmInfo, Gera Sevikyan noted that in 2018 the main front of the works will be for the modernization of the reactor cooling systems, which will further increase the security of the unit, bringing it closer to world standards. In addition, in 2018, a huge amount of work is to be done to modernize equipment for generating electricity - turbines, capacitors, separators, output transformers. Within this stage, it is planned to increase the unit's capacity by 17-20% without increasing the fuel consumption, which will make it possible to increase the efficiency. At present, the unit operates at 92% capacity, which is about 380 MW. After modernization, the capacity will rise to 470 MW, which will be a solid addition, allowing without additional problems to begin servicing a loan of the Russian Federation of $ 270 million.
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.
