Armenian nuclear power plant halted for 65-day repair
02.07.2020,
14:54
The Armenian nuclear power plant in Metsamor was brought to a 65-day halt for a regular preventive repair, the plant said in a press release today.
YEREVAN, July 2. /ARKA/. The Armenian nuclear power plant in Metsamor was brought to a 65-day halt for a regular preventive repair, the plant said in a press release today.
It said the repair is part of a program designed to modernize and extend the service life of the facility and increase its efficiency and reliability.
According to the head of the plant Movses Vardanyan, apart from the repair of the reactor, the plant's information and computer system will be replaced with a new modern one.
He said the repair is combined with the modernization and further improvement of the safety of the plant since the bulk of the work is possible only when the facility is brought to a halt.
The Armenian Nuclear Power Plant is located some 30 kilometers west of Yerevan. It was built in the 1970s but was closed following a devastating earthquake in 1988. One of its two VVER 440-V230 light-water reactors was reactivated in 1995.
In March 2014, Armenian government decided to extend the plant’s service life up to 2026 because of delay in building a new unit. The service life extension has become possible thanks to Russia’s financial resources. The country provided $270 million to Armenia as a loan and $30 million as a grant.
Citing economic consideration, in early June 2020 the Armenian government decided to use only 60 percent of the $270 million Russian loan. According to Territorial and Infrastructure Minister Suren Papikyan, the government will raise the missing 63 billion drams ($130 million) through government bond sales. -0-
It said the repair is part of a program designed to modernize and extend the service life of the facility and increase its efficiency and reliability.
According to the head of the plant Movses Vardanyan, apart from the repair of the reactor, the plant's information and computer system will be replaced with a new modern one.
He said the repair is combined with the modernization and further improvement of the safety of the plant since the bulk of the work is possible only when the facility is brought to a halt.
The Armenian Nuclear Power Plant is located some 30 kilometers west of Yerevan. It was built in the 1970s but was closed following a devastating earthquake in 1988. One of its two VVER 440-V230 light-water reactors was reactivated in 1995.
In March 2014, Armenian government decided to extend the plant’s service life up to 2026 because of delay in building a new unit. The service life extension has become possible thanks to Russia’s financial resources. The country provided $270 million to Armenia as a loan and $30 million as a grant.
Citing economic consideration, in early June 2020 the Armenian government decided to use only 60 percent of the $270 million Russian loan. According to Territorial and Infrastructure Minister Suren Papikyan, the government will raise the missing 63 billion drams ($130 million) through government bond sales. -0-
