Armenia, Russia sign framework contract to extend operation of Armenian NPP by another 10 years

YEREVAN. Dec 15 (Interfax) - Armenia and Russia have signed a framework contract for the implementation of a set of measures to extend the service life of power unit No.2 of the Armenian NPP.

The document was signed in Yerevan on Friday during the 22nd session of the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation by Eduard Martirosyan, General Director of the NPP, and Yuri Sviridenko, Head of Integrated Project Management of Rusatom Service JSC, an Interfax correspondent present at the session said.

Last Thursday, the Armenian government approved a draft agreement with Rusatom Service JSC for $65 million within the framework of the program for extending the operating life of the Armenian NPP through 2036.

The project will be financed through a budget loan allocated to the Armenian NPP. Work on extending the plant's operating life will be carried out in 2023-2026.

In March, the Armenian government made a decision to extend the NPP's operating life until 2036.

The Armenian NPP was put into operation in 1980. The plant's two power units are equipped with first-generation Soviet VVER-440 reactors. The first unit has been shut down since 1989. The station generates up to 45% of all electricity produced in the country. Its fuel supplier is TVEL.

In 2014, Russia and Armenia signed an intergovernmental agreement on extending the NPP's operating life through 2026. Russia provided a $189 million state loan and grant for this purpose, while Armenia's state budget allocated 63.2 billion drams.

In November 2022, Armenia signed a memorandum with Rosatom on the construction of a new NPP power unit in the republic, which is to be put into operation after the stoppage of the currently operating plant in 2036.