There Are Risks That the Nuclear Power Plant's Operation Period Will Not Be Extended: M. Vardanyan

There are risks that the operation period of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant will not be extended. This was stated by the General Director of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant, M. Vardanyan, during a conversation with reporters on March 18.

At the same time, he assured that, considering the experience of Russian companies, these risks will be minimized.

Vardanyan recalled that discussions regarding extending the operation period of the second energy block until 2026 have been ongoing since 2015-2016. “Taking into account the experience of other countries with similar energy blocks, if there is a justification for safety, we plan to extend the nuclear power plant's operation period by another 5-10 years,” he said.

In his opinion, the renovation work in 2021 can be considered the most challenging phase in terms of organizing the work, which will involve improving the safety of the plant, the heat treatment of the metal of the reactor vessel of the second energy block, and so on. “After that, we hope to obtain a 10-year license from the state regulatory body,” concluded M. Vardanyan.