Pashinyan: final decision on constructing new nuclear unit in Armenia will be purely economic

YEREVAN. Sept 29 (Interfax) - The final decision on constructing a new nuclear power unit in Armenia will be purely economic in nature, the Armenian government's press service said following talks between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Rosatom CEO Alexei Likhachev.

"The prime minister noted that the Armenian government continues discussions on the proposals received from international partners regarding the construction of a new nuclear power unit, and a decision will be made in the foreseeable future. Nikol Pashinyan emphasized that the final decision will be exclusively economic in nature, taking into account price, quality, safety, timelines and guarantees," the press service said.

For his part, Likhachev presented details regarding the proposals and possible mechanisms for constructing a new NPP, as well as small- and medium-capacity power units.

Likhachev spoke of wide-ranging talks with Pashinyan at a briefing following his visit to Yerevan.

"Nikol Vovayevich [Pashinyan] and I indeed had talks that delved deep into competencies and were wide-ranging in topics. Probably the main thing for me is that nuclear power in Armenia should exist, and today the prime minister said that Armenia's nuclear power will develop in the coming years," Likhachev said.

Rosatom specialists are working on the second stage of extending the service life of the Armenian NPP until 2036, which can partly be conditionally divided into two stages: until 2031, and from 2031 to 2036, Likhachev said.

"Most of the work related to 2031 has been completed, and the day before, as part of the working group, we recorded 100% fulfillment of the production task. Further work will continue in the interests of 2036, and neither I nor our specialists have any doubts that the plant [the possibility of its operation] will be extended until 2036. Of course, the final word is with the operating organization, the plant itself, and the regulator, but based on our experience of extending the Kola plant, 2036 does not cause us any doubts or concerns. We just need to roll up our sleeves and finish this work," Likhachev said.

The Armenian leadership and Armenian nuclear specialists are studying the issue of extending the plant's operation further, until 2046, he said.

"And here there are two points. First, theoretically such a possibility exists, we are ready to organize this work if such a decision is made. But besides the technical possibility, we need to talk about economic feasibility. What are the subtleties? The fact that quite serious investments will be required (we estimate them at the level of hundreds of millions of dollars), related to the modernization of safety systems, automation systems, with re-annealing of the reactor vessel in order to ensure all characteristics and with the expansion and repair of capacities for storing spent nuclear fuel. Both the pools and the corresponding capacities are designed for a shorter period, so serious capital expenditures will be needed, which in turn will increase the cost of electricity in 2036-2046. And possibly even a twofold increase [in the price] of electricity, if all the extension work is carried out by 2046," Likhachev said.

At the same time, "here we smoothly move on to the next topic - to the alternative: to limit the plant's operation to 2036, but to make a decision as soon as possible to move to the construction of a new unit," he said.

"And here, probably for the first time, words very important for us were spoken by Nikol Vovayevich, that within the coming months Armenia will make a decision on the technical appearance and partners who will build the new plant. Good news, I will emphasize it once again, that nuclear power in Armenia will exist for many decades," Likhachev said.

The Armenian NPP consists of two power units with a first-generation VVER-440 reactor. The first power unit was commissioned in 1976 and shut down in 1989; the second was commissioned in 1980 and continues to operate today.

The Armenian NPP is one of the main sources of electricity in the country. Rosatom and Armenia are discussing the prospects for creating new nuclear generation in the country.