Rosatom starts assessing re-extension of Armenian NPP until 2036

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YEREVAN, 29 July. /ARKA/. Russian state-run Rosatom atomic energy corporation has started to assess the changes in the properties of the reactor metal of the Armenian NPP as part of preparations for extending its service life, the corporation's press service told TASS.br/pp

Rosatom Service JSC (part of Rosatom's division) has installed witness samples in the reactor vessel of power unit No. 2 of the Armenian NPP as part of the ongoing preventive maintenance./pp

The obtained data will be used in deciding the possible extension of the power unit’s operation life for another 10 years, until 2036./pp

Changes in the actual metal characteristics (strength, brittleness, etc.) are monitored using special samples made of metal identical to the reactor vessel. The samples are installed in the reactor vessel in special containers./pp

As the nuclear plant operates, these samples are removed so that they can be analysed in the laboratory. Unloading of the samples installed at the Armenian NPP for the purpose of research will start in 2025 and will be carried out annually./pp

In 2021, Rosatom Service JSC and Rosatom's industry institutes performed annealing of the reactor vessel of power unit No. 2 of the Armenian NPP, which made it possible to restore the properties of the vessel metal by 85% and ensure the possibility of its further operation./pp nbsp;The Armenian nuclear power plant, the only one in the South Caucasus region, is located near the town of Metsamor, about 30 kilometers west of Yerevan. It accounts for about 40% of the country's electricity generation./pp

The government has already extended the facility's lifespan by ten years until 2026 after a major modernization and technical upgrade./pp

Armenian authorities want to build a new nuclear power plant with a capacity of about 1000-1200 MW. Several options are being considered - either construction of a power unit with a capacity of about 1000 or 1200 MW, or two units of 1000 MW each./pp

Tentatively, the new NPP will be built on the territory adjacent to the existing NPP (about 80 hectares) and will allow using part of the existing infrastructure. -0-/p