RA Nuclear Safety Committee to move into new building 

ArmInfo.  The Nuclear Safety Regulatory Committee of Armenia will acquire a new building. At the meeting on August 7, the RA government approved a draft decision, according to which budget funds in the amount of 25.3 million drams will be allocated for the development of design and estimate  documentation for the construction of the building.

As noted in the justification of the project, on July 25, 2024, the  Cabinet of Ministers assigned to the Nuclear Safety Regulatory  Committee land plots of 516.2 square meters and 102.3 square meters  at the address: Yerevan, Ajapnyak, Alikhanyan Brothers Street, Bldg.  2, and the land plot they occupy with an area of 0.55701 hectares.  These areas are common shared property required for use and  maintenance for the purpose of establishing a radiochemical reference  laboratory, as well as for the construction of an administrative  building for the employees of the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Committee  and the Scientific and Technical Center for Nuclear and Radiation  Safety CJSC. The decision is also conditioned by the agreement on  financing the program "Strengthening Nuclear Safety, Radiation  Protection and Radioactive Waste Management Infrastructure in  Armenia" signed between the Republic of Armenia and the European  Commission (the cost is about 12.9 million euros).

The state budget of the Republic of Armenia for 2025 does not provide  for funding for the development of design and estimate documentation  for the construction of a building in the above-mentioned area.   Meanwhile, for the acquisition of the necessary design and estimate  documentation for the construction of the building and the  implementation of local payments, the Urban Development Committee of  the Republic of Armenia needs to allocate 25.3 million drams, 20.3  million drams of which is for the construction of the building. The  European Union has expressed its readiness to support the  establishment and operation of a radiation laboratory in Armenia by  providing modern certified devices, equipment, personal protective  equipment, instructions, as well as training and retraining of  personnel, subject to the timely provision or construction of an  appropriate building.

The Strategic Program for the Development of the Energy Sector of the  Republic of Armenia until 2040 plans to take measures to commission a  new NPP power unit upon the end of the service life of the 2nd power  unit of the ANPP. To implement this event, it will be necessary to  replenish the staff of the Committee and the organization providing  scientific and technical support to the Committee with new personnel,  as well as to train new specialists. CJSC "Scientific and Technical  Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety" will actively participate in  the work of the radiochemical reference laboratory being created and  expresses its readiness to make a financial contribution to the  construction of the building. It is assumed that the area built  through the Center's investments will be provided to the Center on  the basis of ownership. Currently, the Nuclear Safety Regulatory  Committee of the Republic of Armenia with a staff of 43 people  occupies the 5th and 6th floors of the building located at the  address: Yerevan, Tigran Mets Street, 4, with a total area of 738 sq.  m. Within the framework of the construction of a new nuclear unit, as  well as the decommissioning of the existing nuclear power plant, in  order to ensure the implementation of a number of international  conventions in the field of atomic energy ratified by the Republic of  Armenia, and the functions assigned to the Committee by the  legislation of the Republic of Armenia, it will be necessary to  attract another 30-40 new specialists with the necessary skills to  the Committee.