ArmInfo. On January 22, Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures of Armenia Suren Papikyan and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Armenia Sergey Kopyrkin visited the Armenian NPP to familiarize themselves with the progress of the modernization of the station.
As reported by the press service of the RA Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures, during the visit, the parties noted the successful implementation of the work done in 2020. The Armenian NPP was prepared for the final stage of modernization. The plant also assembled an installation for the reduction annealing of the reactor vessel metal, which passed all the relevant checks and is fully ready for operation. The annealing procedure itself will be performed this year, which will allow the station to continue operating after 2026. The general contractor of works at the ANPP is Rusatom Service JSC.
Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures of Armenia Suren Papikyan highly appreciated the professional qualities and dedication of the staff of the system, thanks to which, during the difficult last year of the pandemic and martial law, the stability of the sector of strategic importance for Armenia was preserved. "Nuclear energy today allows us to ensure the proper level of energy independence and security of the country. I highly appreciate the importance of the upcoming joint work with our Russian partners in the development of the sector. The preservation and development of the friendly relations that have developed between us is extremely important, since a wide field of joint activities opens up, both in the near future and in the more distant future, with the repeated extension of the station's operation life, the construction of a new nuclear energy facility, '' Minister Papikyan emphasized.
The Minister recalled that in 2021 marks the 55th anniversary of the atomic energy of Armenia. According to the Minister, the beginning of the year was marked by the approval of the strategic program for the development of the energy sector until 2040 of the Republic of Armenia. "The document notes that one of the main priorities for the development of the Armenian nuclear industry is to extend the life of the second power unit of the Armenian NPP after 2026 - the government intends to extend the operation of the station until at least 2036. Also, the main goal of the development strategy is the construction of a new nuclear power plant," the Minister said. Suren Papikyan also noted that it is with a nuclear power plant that the lowest level of CO2 emissions can be achieved, which corresponds to the long-term goals of the Armenian government.
Commenting on the development of cooperation between the countries in the energy sector, the Russian Ambassador noted: "Traditions of mutual assistance, trust and friendship determine today's relations between Russia and Armenia. At the same time, nuclear energy remains a truly strategic area of our bilateral cooperation. The importance of the successful implementation of the project to modernize the Armenian NPP has never been questioned. Over the past three years, a huge amount of work has been completed. This became possible thanks to the professional skills of the Armenian and Russian specialists, their ability to work harmoniously and with full dedication. However, the scope of work remains very wide and 2021 should be decisive on the way to achieving the final result. The Armenian NPP should remain a stable source of energy generation at low prices and contribute to the country's social and economic development.>