YEREVAN, November 28. /ARKA. A set of modernization measures to be carried out in 2018 and 2019 will increase the capacity of the Armenian nuclear power plant by 10%, raising the average annual output to about 2.9 billion kWh of electricity, the acting Minister of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources Garegin Baghramyan said on November 27.
Baghramyan said also that the increased capacity could prompt a revision of the price of electricity for the households, if no ‘external factor affects the pricing.’ According to Baghramyan, the capacity of the facility will grow after the replacement of the second turbine generator in 2019.
He said the replacement will allow producing 400 or even 500 million kWh more electricity. ‘Accordingly, the resulting" surplus "will significantly affect the cost of all electricity, given that the production of every additional 100 million kWh saves 2 -2.5 billion drams worth electricity," he said.
He also said that the Ministry of Finance has asked the Russian side to extend the repayment period for a $270 million loan granted to Armenia earlier for extension of the facility’s service life up to 2026. The acting minister noted that the extension of the loan repayment period will not affect the electricity tariff for the population.
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. Armenian authorities said they would build a new nuclear power plant to replace the aging facility. The new plant was said to operate at twice the capacity of the Soviet-constructed facility. The plant currently generates some 35 percent of Armenia's electricity.
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 was to provide $270 million to Armenia as a loan and $30 million as a grant. -0-
