ArmInfo.Armenia is entering the second stage of work to extend the operating life of the current second power unit of the Metsamor NPP for another 10 years. Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures of the Republic of Armenia Gnel Sanosyan stated this on April 20 at an extraordinary session of the RA National Assembly.
He noted that it is planned to extend the life of the unit until 2036. Work in this direction will begin in September this year, and the process of upgrading the station itself will take two years, after which it is planned to obtain permission from the regulator, represented by the Committee for Nuclear Safety Regulation, to operate the ANPP for a period of 10 years.
The minister noted that at the same time, work is underway on a project for the construction of a new nuclear power unit, and a difficult decision needs to be made on this issue, ranging from financial to political and energetic ones. <There are numerous components. The problem is that the new units are being built taking into account their operation for 60 years and the possibility of prolonging this period for another 40 years. That is, the new units are designed for 100 years, and we must make the right decision so that the new unit with its capacities fits into the country's overall energy system>, Sanosyan said. He recalled that at present the capacity of the country's energy complex is 1,200 megawatts. The units that are currently in operation have similar capacities from 1,000 to 1,400 megawatts. And if a decision is made to build a unit with a capacity of 1,000 megawatts or more, it will turn out that all 100% of the country's electricity production will fall on this unit, which, according to the minister, is unacceptable, since the entire energy complex will depend on one unit. "For this reason, an accurate calculation is needed to assess the level of electricity consumption in the country by 2070 and the growth rate of the country's economy," the minister stressed, adding that the government's vision on this issue will be determined by the end of this year. At the same time, it is important to hurry up with the decision, since the construction period of a new unit is 8-10 years, which means that in 2025-2026 it will be necessary to start building a new nuclear power unit in order to be in time by 2036.
