ITAR-TASS, Russia
December 26, 2014 Friday 02:52 PM GMT+4
Russia to lend Armenia $270 mln to expand nuclear unit lifespan
MOSCOW December 26.
. The Russian government has approved a U.S. $270 million 15-year loan
to Armenia to finance works to expand the lifespan of the country’s
Metsamorskaya nuclear plant, the government said on Friday
Russia and Armenia earlier signed an intergovernmental agreement to
cooperate in prolonging the lifespan of the nuclear plant’s second
unit.
The unit was earlier slated to cease operations in September 2016.
The Metsamorskaya nuclear plant was launched in 1976 and shut down
after a 1988 earthquake. It was re-launched in 1995 due to an energy
crisis. At present, only a second 407.5-megawatt unit is in operation.
Armenia is now planning to build a new, 1,000-MW nuclear plant. –0–gor