RA Minister and Russian Ambassador summed up results of work carried  out within framework of modernization of Armenian NPP in 2020

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.>