The meeting was attended by representatives of the Armenian Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Armenian State Committee on Nuclear Safety Regulation and Armenian NPP operator Haykakan Atomayin Elektrakayan (HAEK). Russia was represented by Rusatom Service, a Rosatom Group service integrator.
“Meetings of the steering committee form a single ‘information framework’ for all the project stakeholders to timely solve the most vital, practical issues and coordinate project activities,” Rusatom Service CEO Evgeny Salkov commented on the event.
The meeting also discussed results of the technical audit that was carried out to inspect nuclear station systems and piping and assess a possibility of the Armenian NPP Unit 2 life extension. Besides, the discussion touched upon certain systems to be modernized or retrofitted, particularly safety systems and turbines, as well as training of Armenian students in Russian nuclear universities in 2016.
According to Rosatom’s Deputy CEO Kirill Komarov, the meeting attendees were satisfied with the project progress. “The both parties have confirmed that the project is running as planned, within the shortest deadline and in accordance with the budget and objectives set by the governments of our countries,” Komarov said. “We have already completed the audit of systems, structures and components of Armenian NPP Unit 2. It involved over 100 experts who inspected more than 4,500 units of nuclear station equipment. We have developed 40 schedules for equipment deliveries, including shipment of key turbine systems; some of them have been already approved by Armenia.”
Following the meeting, a number of decisions were taken to meet all the previously made plans for technical audits, modernization, timely production and delivery of technological systems to enhance safety and reliability of the Armenian NPP.
At a press briefing held after the meeting in Yerevan, Kirill Komarov announced the upcoming modernization of a seismic safety system at the Armenian NPP. “The system will be definitely modernized, not because the existing system is unreliable. We simply need to continuously improve safety as new technologies appear, and we need to use them, when possible,” Komarov stressed.
In his turn, Armenia’s Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Areg Galstyan mentioned a full-scale safety improvement program implemented by international specialists after the nuclear station was restarted in 1995. When a tsunami devastated the Fukushima nuclear power plant, detailed audits were carried out at operating power reactors worldwide. “The Armenian NPP was audited by a Belgian company which provided an action plan to bring safety at the nuclear station in line with new, much stricter standards. We have already started to take action in accordance with the plan; some measures are included in the NPP life extension project,” Areg Galstyan said.
