ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Dec 6 2007
Decommissioning of Armenian NPP starts
YEREVAN, December 6. /ARKA/. Official start has been given to
decommissioning of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), Armenia’s
Deputy Minister of Energy Areg Galstian said at the discussion on the
decommissioning strategy.
`’This strategy allows us officially taking all the subsequent steps
to carry out the decommissioning of the Armenian NPP,” he said. He
pointed out that this document will serve a basis for extensive work
to be done for developing legal documents and thorough plan of
decommissioning.
The Head of Group within TACIS project of support to Armenia’s energy
policy Martin Stoyev said that the decommissioning of Armenian NPP is
a complicated, long and expensive process and timely planning of
measures throughout the process is the key factor in ensuring
effective implementation.
Legal framework that is formed competently will set favourable
conditions for proper distribution of efforts and resources, he said.
Bearing in mind that the shut-down of the plant is scheduled for
2016, the measures in the preliminary schedule are arranged so that
the end point of the decommissioning process – de-licensing of NPP
site – will take place in 2048.
On November 29 the Government of Armenia approved the strategy of
decommissioning of the Armenian NPP with total cost of 238.75mln EUR
(or 310.37mln USD).
According to the preliminary schedule, preparations for licensing of
the process are to be carried out in the period from 2012 to 2016.
Works on decommissioning, safe conservation, then dismantling the
buildings, rehabilitation of NPP site and termination of the license
are to be done in 2016-2048.
According to preliminary estimates, 5.7mln EUR is to spend on
preparations for licensing, 70mln EUR on post-operation period
(2016-2023) and 52.5mln EUR on construction of a mortuary.
Dismantling of non-nuclear equipment will cost 34.3mln EUR,
dismantling of deactivated equipment is to cost 36.25mln EUR and
dismounting of equipment that is not subject to deactivation will
cost 40mln EUR.
Expenditures on demolition of buildings and rehabilitation of the
site, as well as costs of foreign experts are not incorporated in
these items.
The current Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) was commissioned in
1976 (the second unit was commissioned in 1980).Currently only the
second unit operates providing from 40% to 50% of the overall power
produced in Armenia.
In September 2003, the financial flows of Armenian NPP were
transferred to trust management of INTER RAO EES Closed Joint Stock
Company – the daughter enterprise of RAO `EES Russia’ (60% of the
shares) and `Rosenergoatom’ concern (40%). According to experts, the
plant can operate till 2016. N.V. -0–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
