Construction model for new nuclear power unit to be determined after  survey - official 

ArmInfo. The Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Armenia spent about 307 billion drams on the implementation of 21 programs and 138 events in 2024.  This was stated by the deputy head of the department Kristine Galechyan on June 16 at a meeting of the standing committee on economic issues, presenting a report on the execution of the state budget for the past year.

Thus, according to her, in the reporting year, the department spent  4.6 billion drams or 1.7% more on expenditure items than in 2023. 118  billion drams or 43% were capital expenditures.

19 billion drams were allocated to the energy sector, of which 18.3  billion drams were spent (4 programs and 12 events). In particular,  14.2 billion drams were spent on the development of the electric  power system. The work on the full restoration of the 220 kV  high-voltage substations "Zovuni", "Ararat-2", "Shinuayr" is in the  final stage. They have already been energized and are in operation.

The construction of the 400 kV Iran-Armenia overhead power line and  the service substation is ongoing.  According to the results of 2024,  about 80% of the work has already been completed.  The construction  of the solar photovoltaic station "Masrik-1" has also been completed.  The capacity of the station is 55 megawatts, it has already been  connected to the network for the purpose of testing adjustments.

In the reporting year, work continued on the modernization and  extension of the service life of the 2nd power unit of the Armenian  NPP until 2026. Discussions around the model for the construction of  a new nuclear power unit in the Republic of Armenia are ongoing. The  model for constructing a new nuclear power unit in Armenia will be  determined based on the results of the ongoing research, she noted.

The second program to extend the service life of the second power  unit of the Armenian NPP operating in the country is currently 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 last year, by the decision of the  Cabinet of Ministers, CJSC "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. The first results of the studies are expected to be  presented by the end of 2025.