Thursday, July 2 2020 12:36

ArmInfo. On July 1, the  Armenian nuclear power plant stopped for another scheduled preventive  repair. This was reported by the press service of the station.

According to the source, the work at the second unit of the Armenian  Nuclear Power Plant will last 65 days. Activities at nuclear power  plants are carried out as part of the modernization and extension of  the operating life of the second nuclear power unit in order to  increase the efficiency and reliability of the plant. "This is a  planned shutdown during which an average repair of the reactor will  be carried out, the information and computer system will be replaced  with a new, more modern one, inspection and assessment of the  technical condition of the drives of the ARC cassettes, as well as  metal control of the main equipment of the first circuit," said the  Director General of the Armenian NPP Movses Vardanyan.  The Armenian  NPP combines preventive maintenance with modernization and further  improving the safety of the station, since the bulk of the work is  possible only at a stopped unit. In 2019, work was carried out in the  reactor shop, a comprehensive modernization and replacement of  equipment in the engine room was carried out, the design of systems  and equipment to be modernized and replaced was completed, and the  reactor vessel was inspected. During the PPR-2020, it is planned to  carry out a large amount of work to be performed as part of the  program to extend the life of the unit. Repair work will last 65  days, and the unit will be launched on September 3. During the  preventive maintenance, it is envisaged to carry out a number of  basic works, including the average repair of the reactor, the  overhaul of 2 main circulation pumps, the technical examination of 6  steam generators, the installation of a new information and computing  system, the inspection of ARC cartridge drives, and the current  repair of steam turbines N 3 and 4, overhaul of the turbogenerator  No. 3, work on the inspection of welds of the metal of the main  circulation pipeline and the main gate valves.

Earlier, ArmInfo, citing the Minister of Territorial Administration  and Infrastructures of the Republic of Armenia Suren Papikyan,  reported that a budget loan of 63.2 billion drams (about $ 130  million) will be provided to the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant.  According to the minister, state budget funds will be provided to  complete the program to extend the life of the second power unit of  the ANPP. Earlier, Armenia raised a loan of $ 270 million and a grant  of $ 30 million from the Russian Federation to implement the program,  and as of today, the residual resource of these funds was $ 107  million. For objective and subjective reasons, it was not possible to  agree with Russian partners on this residual resource. For this  reason, a decision was made to attract a budget loan of 63.2 billion  drams. In 2020, the Armenian nuclear power plant will receive 18.7  billion drams from these funds, in 2021 - 31.5 billion drams and in  2022 - 13 billion drams. The maturity of each tranche is 12 years, of  which the first 2 years will be preferential. The interest rate will  be equivalent to the interest rate of borrowed funds of the Russian  Federation raised earlier. The loan will be repaid twice a year in  equal proportions on June 25 and December 25 of each year, and  interest will be paid from December 25, 2020 with semi-annual  payments - June 25 and December 25 of each year. A loan is provided  without collateral. The Ministry of Finance of the country will issue  of government treasury bonds. The project also provides for the  formation of an interdepartmental tender commission, which will carry  out all competitive procedures, and monitor the implementation of the  program.

Recall that a loan of $ 270 million and a grant of $ 30 million were  provided by the Government of the Russian Federation to Armenia for a  period of 15 years with a grace period of payments in the first three  years. This deadline expired on December 31, 2019. At the same time,  the annual interest rate on payments is 3%.

The Armenian NPP consists of two units with Soviet (Russian) VVER  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 was stopped. In November 1995, in  connection with the most acute energy crisis, a second power unit of  the station 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.