Regulatory Authority Issues Two Negative Conclusions on Illegally Operated Facility at Hrazdan Thermal Power Plant

On September 10, at approximately 16:50, an explosion occurred at a foundry operating within the premises of the Hrazdan Thermal Power Plant. The Construction, Technical, and Fire Safety Inspection Authority (CTFSA) has reported that the company operating the foundry applied to the Republic of Armenia's Ministry of Urban Development, Technical, and Fire Safety Inspection Authority (hereinafter referred to as the Regulatory Authority) on March 11 of this year. They requested a candidate to document the completion of construction for existing structures N1 and N2 located at 1/13 Factory Address in Hrazdan community of Kotayk Province.

The Regulatory Authority stated, “During an inspection conducted on April 8, 2024, by specialists from the Regulatory Authority, it was recorded that there were numerous violations of technical and fire safety normative documents. The most significant violation is that the reconstructed facility, being an Industrial Hazardous Facility (IHF), was not registered in the list of industrial hazardous facilities maintained by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, had not undergone annual expert examination, and did not have a positive expert conclusion for operation. Additionally, the facility lacked a fire alarm automatic system, an internal firefighting water supply system, and initial firefighting means.”

Considering the recorded deficiencies, the Regulatory Authority issued a conclusion on April 8, 2024, rejecting the documentation of the completed construction works for the facility.

Subsequently, on May 15, 2024, the company appealed to the Regulatory Authority requesting further inspections to rectify the previously recorded deficiencies and document the completion of construction works. As a result of a second inspection, it was found that the previously recorded violations had not been rectified by the company, prompting the Regulatory Authority to issue another conclusion rejecting the operation of the facility.

In light of the situation, it is important to note that the combination of recorded violations by the Regulatory Authority rendered the specified facility unsafe and it could not be operated in practice. To avoid similar irreversible consequences in the future, the Regulatory Authority urges operators of industrial hazardous facilities to completely cease their operations in the absence of appropriate examinations and positive conclusions for operation,” the Regulatory Authority informs.

It is worth mentioning that as a result of the explosion at the foundry within the Hrazdan Thermal Power Plant premises, one person was killed and five others were injured.