Preparatory work to design new nuclear power unti to get underway  next year - minister 

ArmInfo.  The program to extend the lifespan of the second power unit of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant will continue in 2026. This was announced by David  Khudatyan, Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure  of the Republic of Armenia, at the budget hearings of the Armenian  parliamentary committee on October 28.

According to him, as a result of the program's implementation, the  lifespan of the ANPP unit will be extended until 2036. 20.1 billion  drams will be allocated from the country's state budget for this  purpose.  Next year, the minister noted, preparatory work for the  design of a new nuclear power unit will begin. 828 million drams will  be allocated from the Armenian state budget for this purpose.

Concurrently, work will continue on the construction of a new  Armenia-Georgia power transmission line.  The tender process for this  program is currently being finalized. The planned cost for the  project is 48.4 billion drams. In addition, the modernization of  three substations-Shahumyan-2, Marash, and Yeghegnadzor-will  continue. Their service life is estimated at 40 years, and 3.8  billion drams will be allocated for this purpose.

As a reminder, the program to extend the service life of Unit 2 of  the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (ANPP) until 2036 is ongoing. By  this date, a new nuclear power plant is scheduled to be built in the  country. Currently, Armenia is leaning toward constructing a nuclear  power plant with small modular units.  However, the problem is that  there are no reference units available anywhere in the world. To  implement the project, the "Construction of a New Nuclear Power Unit"  CJSC has been established. After studying all options, it will make a  final decision on the new plant's capacity.