New thermal power unit of Yerevan TPP will be first project with   production of environmentally clean electricity at extremely low  prices

ArmInfo.The new thermal power unit of the Yerevan Thermal Power Plant ("Yerevan-2") will be in Armenia the first funded project on power plants with the production  of environmentally clean electricity at extremely low prices. Head of  the representative office of Siemens AG in Armenia Georgy Karapetyan  in a conversation with the ArmInfo correspondent informed about this. 

To recall, on July 12, an official ceremony was held in Yerevan to  start the construction of a new thermal power unit at the Yerevan  TPP. Siemens AG is also involved in the project implementation.

According to George Karapetyan, negotiations on the construction of  the power unit in the neighborhood of the first unitof the new  Yerevan Thermal Power Plant between the RA government and the Italian  company Renco began three years ago, but the final agreement was  signed only on November 13, 2018. The new combined cycle power plant  will have a power of 250 megawatts and it is expected to be  commissioned by the end of 2021. Siemens will supply the power unit  for the new combined cycle power plant. The company will also operate  and maintain the station for 25 years. Siemens supplies include a  power unit consisting of a gas turbine, a steam turbine, two  generators and a boiler for heat recovery. In addition to the  operation of the power plant, and its maintenance for 25 years, the  Agreement on operation and maintenance also includes diagnostic  services, technical support from a remote center of expertise and  remote control. "This is the largest single order Siemens has ever  received from Armenia. Siemens Financial Services (SFS) owns a 40%  stake in the developer ArmPower, created specifically for this  project. Financial participation of SFS (Siemens Financial Services)  in the design company ArmPower was crucial to the implementation of  this project and to ensure successful financing, "said George  Karapetyan.

According to him, the Italian Renco S.p.A. company engaged in design,  procurement and construction, is responsible for the construction of  the entire unit, and together with the Italian joint-stock company  Simest S.p.A. it owns a 60 percent stake in ArmPower. "Renco has  established itself well in Armenia and is active in real estate, as  well as in civil and private construction and will act as an investor  and contractor, while Siemens participates as a supplier of  technologies and services of the ArmPower project company," he noted.

The construction of the station will take about 26 months, which will  make it possible to create about 1,200 temporary jobs. After  commissioning, 200-250 new permanent jobs will be created. Siemens  will take on the task of improving the qualifications of the station  staff, about 60 employees will take appropriate training courses at  the company's enterprises. The use of modern technologies by Siemens  will make it possible to produce electricity at a low cost, the  efficiency of the unit will be 54.4%, and the tariff from the new  generation facility will be the lowest for such facilities - 5.7  cents or 27.4 drams per 1 kWh. In accordance with the 25-year service  agreement, Siemens will provide cost-effective and reliable power  generation throughout this period.