Armenia needs new 600MW nuclear unit - ex-official 

ArmInfo. Taking into account the growth rate of the Armenian economy for the next 10 years, the construction of a new high-capacity nuclear power unit in  Armenia is impractical, especially given its further safe operation.  This was stated by former Deputy Minister of Territorial  Administration and Infrastructure of the Republic of Armenia Hakob  Vardanyan during the panel discussion "Energy Security of the  Republic of Armenia. Challenges and Solutions". 

According to him, only by ensuring annual and sustainable GDP growth  within 20% could we talk about the need to build a new unit with a  capacity of 1-1.2 thousand MW. Moreover, in this case, the price of  the new power unit will be no less important, which is necessary for  the formation of a competitive cost for the produced kilowatt-hour of  electricity in the region. Previously, the construction of such a  unit was about $8 billion, but today there is no such price. Capital  investments are estimated at a much higher volume, and the  possibilities for the constant export of electricity from the new  nuclear generation facility are reduced to a minimum. In conditions  where there is no super-competitive price and higher rates of  economic growth, it is impossible to talk about building a unit with  a capacity of 1-1.2 thousand MW.

Also, one should not discount the fact, Vardanyan continued, that at  present, during peak times, the volumes of electricity consumed in  the country do not exceed 1-1.2 thousand MW, and against this  background, the construction of a unit with a similar capacity would  mean 70-80% dependence on just one generating facility, which is  extremely dangerous from the point of view of the state's energy  security, since one must always keep in mind the possibility of its  shutdown for scheduled repairs, refueling, and emergency shutdowns  from the grid. 

"Based on my work experience, I can confirm that this is simply  impossible. All these factors taken together indicate the need to  build a new unit with a much lower capacity - up to 600 MW," said the  former deputy minister. He added that to ensure the flexibility of  the energy system, the republic needs small nuclear power plants,  preferably two stations with a capacity of 300 MW each. When choosing  a manufacturer of such units, it is very important to keep in mind  that relations with them must be maintained for 100 years, since  their service life is 60 years with the possibility of extending this  period for another 40 years. Here, it is also necessary to take into  account fuel supplies, maintenance during the entire period of  operation, etc. "When determining the model of a new NPP, we should  not forget about the geographical location of the country, in  particular, where the nuclear fuel will be supplied from. Our current  partner has settled issues related to logistics, but now it is very  important to know how the future partner will solve the problem of  supplies and the type of nuclear fuel," Vardanyan said.

He noted that the issue of building a nuclear power unit with a small  modular reactor in the country is also on the agenda of discussions  today.

"It would be great if we were dealing with a reference unit that has  already been built and proven its efficiency in other countries, but  since there are none, we need to find units of medium capacity - 600  or 300 MW. Such units, although there are not many of them, exist.  And then, we need to take into account that small NPPs and modular  NPPs are different stations. And it is not necessary for these units  to be necessarily of Western manufacture. In a word, a decision will  have to be made based on all of the above," the former deputy  minister emphasized, adding that as of today, there is not a single  NPP with a small modular reactor built in the world. One company in  the United States received a license to build six units with SMRs,  but was forced to abandon their construction due to high capital  costs. The former official noted that, together with American  partners, a decision was made to give points for each of the 450  aspects of the project, which will make it possible to decide on this  issue.

Currently the second program to extend the service life of the second  power unit of the Armenian NPP operating in the country is being  implemented by 10 years - until 2036. By this time, a new nuclear  power unit should be built in the republic. The problem rests on the  choice of its capacity. On August 1 of last year, by the decision of  the Cabinet of Ministers, ZAO "Construction of a new nuclear power  unit" was created, which should be engaged in the selection of the  manufacturer of the new NPP, the construction process itself and  further operation. The company is financed from the state budget of  the country. As expected, the first results of the studies will be  presented in the middle of this year.