Yerevan’s only commercial reactor could operate until 2036.
Armenia and Russia have signed a contract on modernising and extending the lifespan of Armenia’s only commercially operating nuclear power plant until 2036.
The work will be carried out by Rusatom Service JSC, a subsidiary of Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom, and will cost the Armenian government $65m (€59m), reports said.
In 2021 Armenia said it was planning to extend the operating lifetime of Armenian-2 for another 10 years beyond the current shutdown date of 2026. It has also said it is considering the possible construction of new reactors, potentially inclkuding small modular plants.
Armenian-2, a 415-MW VVER-440/V270 pressurised water reactor supplied by Russia, was reconnected to the national grid in October 2021 after a major retrofitting and refurbishment programme carried out by Rosatom.
The work meant the plant’s electricity generation was increased by 10-15% without additional fuel consumption.
According to International Atomic Energy Agency statistics, Armenian-2 provided about 34% of the country’s electricity generation in 2020, up from 27.8% in 2019. Armenian-1 was permanently shut down in 1989.
In October the IAEA said it was ready to help Armenia in realising its future nuclear energy plans.