ArmInfo.As a result of the organization of effective work at the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant it was managed to achieve a positive result in terms of ensuring balance in the country's electricity system. Garegin Baghramyan, Chairman of the RA Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC), stated this at a final press conference in Yerevan on December 25.
According to him, 2019 turned out to be difficult in the sense that as early as January of this year, the station was supposed to start paying the principal amount of the loan of $ 270 million provided by the Government of the Russian Federation to extend the life of the second power unit of the Armenian NPP. However, the station due to internal resources and cost savings was able to maintain the tariff at the same level. The head of PSRC noted that initially in the tariff for the ANPP, which the Commission establishes, mechanisms for the repayment of credit resources were laid. This, in particular, is about $ 21 million, which will save 2 drams per 1 kW / h of electricity for the end consumers of the country. "As a result of the work of the government, the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures, the Operator of the electric power system, it was possible to organize such an operating regime in the electric power system that will give its positive results in 2020 from the point of view of ensuring balance, " the head of the PSRC said.
As ArmInfo previously reported, the government of Armenia, at a meeting on December 12, approved for signing the protocol to the Armenian-Russian agreement of February 5, 2015, according to which the terms for the implementation of the program extending the life of the second power unit of the Armenian NPP will be extended until December 31, 2021. As the Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures of the Republic of Armenia Suren Papikyan noted, on the basis of this document, it was planned to complete the program by December 31, 2019. For this purpose, the Government of the Russian Federation granted a loan of $ 270 million and a grant of $ 30 million to the Government of Armenia. However, as a result of comprehensive studies of the main and additional equipment carried out within the framework of the project, the list of planned works was significantly expanded, and there was a need to extend both the terms of work, and loan repayments. The remaining funds under the program will be used to complete work to improve the safety of the Armenian nuclear power plant.
On December 10, in response to a question from ArmInfo, Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergey Kopyrkin noted that the issue of attracting the remaining part of the loan for the Armenian NPP would be discussed at the end of December. "On December 26, a meeting of the joint coordination committee is planned, at which this issue will also be the subject of discussion," he explained.