Rusatom again extends life of Armenian nuclear power plant

Rusatom Service and the Armenian NPP signed an agreement on December 15 to extend the life of the NPP until 2036.
According to Rusatom, an agreement on extending the life of the plant was reached within the framework of the meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation between Russia and Armenia.

The agreement was signed by Eduard Martirosyan, General Director of the NPP, and Yuri Sviridenko, Head of Integrated Project Management of Rusatom Service JSC.

“Taking into account Rusatom’s unique experience in extending the life of the Kola and Novovoronezh NPPs, as well as the positive results of the first stage of modernization of the Armenian NPP, cooperation with the state corporation as part of the signed agreement will allow the plant to operate efficiently and safely until 2036,” Sviridenko said.

The operation of the NPP is a vital factor of the country’s energy independence. The share of the NPP in total electricity production is about 30%. Nuclear energy is an environmentally friendly source of production; therefore, the production of electricity at nuclear power plants does not emit a significant amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

In 2014, the Government of Armenia appealed to Rusatom with a request to modernize the NPP and extend its life.

Modernization began in 2015 and was completed in 2021. Most of the work was carried out without interrupting the operation of the power plant. With the help of relevant Russian organizations and agencies, a huge amount of equipment was replaced at the plant.

The capacity of the power unit was increased from 380-390 MW to 440 MW.