ArmInfo. As far as possible, Armenia will extend the "life" of the nuclear power plant in Metsamor, but our agenda does not include the issue of closing the nuclear power plant without ensuring replacement facilities. This was stated by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on March 19 at a meeting with journalists.
According to him, the NPP is the basis of the republic's energy security; therefore, it cannot be closed without an adequate replacement, which could ensure the same level of energy security. It should be noted that the main objectives of the project to extend the life of the 2nd unit of the Armenian NPP are the restoration of the resource and the extension of the plant to 10 or more years, increasing the level of safety and efficiency of the NPP. All work on the project will be completed by the end of 2021. 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, due to 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 for 10 years - until 2026. Completion is scheduled for 2019. The government of the Russian Federation has allocated a state export credit to Armenia for this purpose in the amount of $ 270 million and a grant of $ 30 million.