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STRESS TESTS OF ARMENIAN NPP WILL BE READY IN SECOND QUARTER OF 2012
/ARKA/
DECEMBER 6, 2011
YEREVAN
YEREVAN, December 6. / ARKA /. The results of the stress tests of
the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) will be ready in the second
quarter of 2012, President Serzh Sargsyan said Tuesday at the opening
of the 12th meeting of the Nuclear Energy Safety Advisory Group under
the Armenian president.
He said the EU is helping Armenia to conduct these tests. The president
was quoted by his press service as saying also that the NPP is now
preparing for the launch of stress tests.
This past summer Armenia as well as Croatia, Switzerland, Turkey,
Belarus, Russia and Ukraine agreed to join their nuclear stress test
programs to examine whether their atomic power plants can withstand
accidents and disasters. The 27 EU nations agreed on such a program
in 2011 May and had called on other countries to join the plan. Under
the tests, "experts from other countries will evaluate the assessment
carried out by their national experts.
President Sargsyan said everything should be done so that double
checks to be held at Armenian NPP in late 2011 or early 2011 record
significant progress in enhancing its safe operation. The President
said about ten international missions arrive in Armenia every year
to check the safe operation of the facility.
After a visit to Armenia in May the Operational Safety Review Team
(OSART) acting under the aegis of the International Atomic Energy
Agency, Armenian nuclear power plant committed to implement the
recommendations of the agency to improve the NPP~Rs operational safety.
The OSART assessment stressed that there were disputed issues, which
were mainly associated with the existing regulations in Armenia and
the EU. According to Armenian government figures, the country has
received over $115 million worth of assistance from the United States,
the European Union, Russia and other international bodies to upgrade
the plant~Rs safety.
According to the president, OSART mission found seven instances of
positive Armenian experience that can be applied in other countries.
He said the mission presented 14 guarantees and 12 proposals which
could help raise the safe operation of the plant.
The president said Armenian government received this past November
the final report of OSART mission that will be discussed in detail
and all necessary measures will be taken to correct the shortcomings
revealed by OSART.
The Armenian Metsamor nuclear power plant is located some 30 kilometers
west of Yerevan. It was built in the 1970s but was closed following
a devastating earthquake in 1988. One of its two VVER 440-V230
light-water reactors was reactivated in 1995. Armenian authorities
said they will build a new nuclear power plant to replace the aging
facility.
The new plant is supposed to operate at twice the capacity of the
Soviet-constructed facility. Metsamor currently generates some 40
percent of Armenia's electricity. But the government has yet to attract
funding for the project that was estimated by a U.S.-funded feasibility
study to cost at as much as $5 billion. Under a 2003 agreement Armenian
nuclear power plant's financial flows are managed by Russian Inter
RAO UES, owned by Russian state-run Rosatom corporation.
The agreement expires in 2013. In 2010 Russia and Armenia signed an
agreement on cooperation in nuclear energy sphere whereby Russia
committed to assume 20% of all expenses. The Armenian government
will cover another 20% and the remaining part is supposed to come
from investors.
/ARKA/
DECEMBER 6, 2011
YEREVAN
YEREVAN, December 6. / ARKA /. The results of the stress tests of
the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) will be ready in the second
quarter of 2012, President Serzh Sargsyan said Tuesday at the opening
of the 12th meeting of the Nuclear Energy Safety Advisory Group under
the Armenian president.
He said the EU is helping Armenia to conduct these tests. The president
was quoted by his press service as saying also that the NPP is now
preparing for the launch of stress tests.
This past summer Armenia as well as Croatia, Switzerland, Turkey,
Belarus, Russia and Ukraine agreed to join their nuclear stress test
programs to examine whether their atomic power plants can withstand
accidents and disasters. The 27 EU nations agreed on such a program
in 2011 May and had called on other countries to join the plan. Under
the tests, "experts from other countries will evaluate the assessment
carried out by their national experts.
President Sargsyan said everything should be done so that double
checks to be held at Armenian NPP in late 2011 or early 2011 record
significant progress in enhancing its safe operation. The President
said about ten international missions arrive in Armenia every year
to check the safe operation of the facility.
After a visit to Armenia in May the Operational Safety Review Team
(OSART) acting under the aegis of the International Atomic Energy
Agency, Armenian nuclear power plant committed to implement the
recommendations of the agency to improve the NPP~Rs operational safety.
The OSART assessment stressed that there were disputed issues, which
were mainly associated with the existing regulations in Armenia and
the EU. According to Armenian government figures, the country has
received over $115 million worth of assistance from the United States,
the European Union, Russia and other international bodies to upgrade
the plant~Rs safety.
According to the president, OSART mission found seven instances of
positive Armenian experience that can be applied in other countries.
He said the mission presented 14 guarantees and 12 proposals which
could help raise the safe operation of the plant.
The president said Armenian government received this past November
the final report of OSART mission that will be discussed in detail
and all necessary measures will be taken to correct the shortcomings
revealed by OSART.
The Armenian Metsamor nuclear power plant is located some 30 kilometers
west of Yerevan. It was built in the 1970s but was closed following
a devastating earthquake in 1988. One of its two VVER 440-V230
light-water reactors was reactivated in 1995. Armenian authorities
said they will build a new nuclear power plant to replace the aging
facility.
The new plant is supposed to operate at twice the capacity of the
Soviet-constructed facility. Metsamor currently generates some 40
percent of Armenia's electricity. But the government has yet to attract
funding for the project that was estimated by a U.S.-funded feasibility
study to cost at as much as $5 billion. Under a 2003 agreement Armenian
nuclear power plant's financial flows are managed by Russian Inter
RAO UES, owned by Russian state-run Rosatom corporation.
The agreement expires in 2013. In 2010 Russia and Armenia signed an
agreement on cooperation in nuclear energy sphere whereby Russia
committed to assume 20% of all expenses. The Armenian government
will cover another 20% and the remaining part is supposed to come
from investors.