Yerevan /Mediamax/. Armenian Nuclear Power Plant has halted operation for scheduled preventive maintenance.

The work on the second nuclear power unit will last for 65 days. The scheduled maintenance is conducted for modernization and extension of the lifespan of the second unit, for the purpose of increasing the efficiency and reliability of the plant, said Rosatom Eastern Europe.

The Armenian Nuclear Power Plant combines preventive maintenance with modernization works and enhancement of security because the main part of the works can be done only on the suspended unit.

“We will do the main work in 2021, and until the end of 2020 we will be making preparations for modernization of the reactor core’s emergency cooling system and recovery anneal of the reactor vessel, which will allow restoring the initial qualities of the reactor’s metal cladding by 80-85%. It is an important, scientific task for increasing the security of the plant,” said Yuri Sviridenko, head of the life extension project of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant on the Russian side.

In 2019, the project team completed the works in the reactor shop, conducted complex modernization and re-equipment of the turbine island, finished the design of the systems and equipment due for modernization and replacement, and examined the reactor’s cladding. The plant also received the required equipment.