Armenpress
According to Energy and Natural Resources Deputy Minister Areg Galstyan, the environmental impact of the nuclear unit will be minimum and all the systems will comply to international standards.
IRAN MAY BE INVOLVED IN NPP CINSTRUCTION IN ARMENIA, EXPERT SAYS
NEWS.am
The construction of a new nuclear power plant is of critical importance for Armenia’s economic development. It will not only replace the old nuclear power plant, but also enable the country to offer more energy that is less expensive that the energy generated by thermal power stations, said Sergey Kondratyev, Senior Expert, Institute of Energy and Finance, reported EnergyLand.info.
It was not mere chance that Russia was selected as partner in the construction project – the Armenian NPP designed by Russian specialists remained operative after the Spitak earthquake.
“Russia’s participation in funding the construction of a new nuclear power plan is in full conformity with the Rosatom state corporation’s strategy of expanding its presence on the external market and getting profits not only from construction, but also from operation of new NPPs,” the expert said.
The attraction of external investors, who would fund up to 60% of the project, will facilitate risk diversification and involvement of other interested entities. “It may be Iranian energy companies. Amid a considerable increase in energy consumption in the country’s central and northern regions, Iran’s power grid is having capacity deficit, especially during peak loads. And Iran’s share in Armenia’s energy exports is more than 70%,” he said.
An Armenian-Russian agreement on the construction of a new NPP in Armenia was signed in Yerevan on August 20. The document was the result of talks between the RA and RF Presidents, Serzh Sargsyan and Dmitry Medvedev.
On the threshold of the signing, Head of the Rosatom corporation Sergey Kiriyenko stated that Russia can finance more than 20% of the construction costs. The project is estimated at U.S. \\$ 5bn.
An Armenian-Russian company has been formed to implement the project. The company will cover 40% of the construction costs, the rest 60% to be attracted as investments. The RA Government is negotiating with potential investors.
Rosatom is stockholder of the Metsamor Inter RAO company, which is to construct the 2nd nuclear power unit at the Metsamor NPP. The company is to complete the construction and put the new power unit into operation before the old reactor is out of operation.
August 25, 2010