Armenia Plans for an Energy-Safe Future
A landlocked country with no fossil fuels resource, Armenia has been greatly dependent on nuclear power as one of its main sources of energy.
The Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (ANPP) in Metsamor is 70 kilometers from Yerevan and 10 kilometers from the border with Turkey. The ANPP’s two reactors were built in 1976 and 1980, respectively, with a lifecycle of 30 years. The ANPP now provides about 42 percent of the country’s electricity and is critical to the country’s economic growth and social welfare.
With the end of the ANPP’s lifecycle rapidly approaching, the Government of Armenia (GOAM) has been seriously concerned about the future of the plant and is targeting its shutdown by 2016. Per the GOAM‘s request, international organizations, including USAID, have extended technical and financial assistance in order to pursue the proper decommissioning and replacement of the ANPP compliant with international best practices and safety standards.
As part of the USAID-funded “Program to Strengthen Reform and Enhance Energy Security in Armenia”, PA Consulting presented the international experience on principles related to power plants decommissioning, which led to the establishment of a special account for the ANPP Decommissioning Fund by the GOAM. The account is funded through a percentage of tariff-revenue from the ANPP-generated electricity, state budget, donor assistance and other resources provided by the Government.
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U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Joseph Pennington and Armenia’s Minister of Energy, Armen Movsisyan, sign the Statement of Cooperation between the two governments in developing planning studies for a new nuclear power generation unit in Armenia
Photo Credit: US Embassy Armenia |
“There is much work to be done regarding ANPP and decommissioning, but the establishment of the Decommissioning Fund is an important step in the process,” Minister of Energy Armen Movsisyan said.
Within the framework of USAID’s assistance to the Government of Armenia in ANPP decommissioning, a statement of cooperation between the US Government and the Ministry of Energy of Armenia was signed on November 21 by U.S. Embassy Charge´ d´Affaires Joseph Pennington and Minister of Energy Armen Movsisyan. The two parties will cooperate in developing planning studies for a preliminary Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Feasibility Study for a new nuclear power generation unit in Armenia, which will be the core component of the energy sector development strategy.
The feasibility study is designed to elucidate such issues as technical and economic viability of the project, nuclear fuel supply options, institutional and social impact, infrastructure and manpower requirements. In addition, a set of project management studies will establish a milestone schedule of activities for the project, describe Armenia's specific technical requirements for the new power unit and offer an international tender plan.
The results of the EIA and feasibility study will assist the Government of Armenia in decision-making with respect to the best technical solution, project logistics as well as negotiations with potential suppliers and international financing institutions.
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