On November 21, at the Atomexpo-2022 nuclear technology forum and exhibition held in Sochi,  Rosatom Service General Director Yevgeny Salkov stated that the Rosatom Service Company is preparing to conclude an agreement with the Armenian government on work to extend the life of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (ANPP) in Metsamor until 2036. 

"Rosatom Service, together with the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures of Armenia, previously created a working group that discusses preparations for the second stage of repair work at the only nuclear power plant in the Caucasus. In the first stage, starting in 2015, the main equipment of the turbine hall (generators and service units) of the ANPP was replaced, and the reactor pressure vessel was strengthened (annealed). At present, with the help of Russian specialists, cooling towers are being repaired at the station," he added.

Much has been done to improve the security of the flagship of the Armenian energy industry. According to Salkov, in-reactor control, power supply reliability, emergency cooling of the reactor zone, and several other systems have all been updated. "Thanks to this, the regulatory body of Armenia [Armgosatomcontrol] granted the station the right to operate until 2026," Rosatom Service General Director stated.

"Now we are already working on estimating the commercial scope of work. I hope that at the beginning of next year, perhaps before the end of this year, we will reach the signing of the agreement," he said.

The target period for the next extension of the operation of the ANPP is 2036. "The main thing is that our Armenian partners have decided to remain a country of nuclear energy, also because the republic has experience and understanding of how to operate nuclear power plants," the official stressed.

Notably, the operating second power unit of the Armenian NPP, launched in 1980, was designed for 30 years of operation until 2010. However, given that the station did not operate for six years (from 1989 to 1995), a project was drawn up and agreed upon with the International Atomic Energy Agency to extend the service life of the ANPP until 2016. In 2015, a decision was made to overhaul the station. As a result of these efforts, it was decided to extend the nuclear power plant's service life until 2026. In the future, this period will be extended for another ten years.

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