ArmInfo. Taking into account the growth rate of the Armenian economy for the next 10 years, the construction of a new high-capacity nuclear power unit in Armenia is impractical, especially given its further safe operation. This was stated by former Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of the Republic of Armenia Hakob Vardanyan during the panel discussion "Energy Security of the Republic of Armenia. Challenges and Solutions".
According to him, only by ensuring annual and sustainable GDP growth within 20% could we talk about the need to build a new unit with a capacity of 1-1.2 thousand MW. Moreover, in this case, the price of the new power unit will be no less important, which is necessary for the formation of a competitive cost for the produced kilowatt-hour of electricity in the region. Previously, the construction of such a unit was about $8 billion, but today there is no such price. Capital investments are estimated at a much higher volume, and the possibilities for the constant export of electricity from the new nuclear generation facility are reduced to a minimum. In conditions where there is no super-competitive price and higher rates of economic growth, it is impossible to talk about building a unit with a capacity of 1-1.2 thousand MW.
Also, one should not discount the fact, Vardanyan continued, that at present, during peak times, the volumes of electricity consumed in the country do not exceed 1-1.2 thousand MW, and against this background, the construction of a unit with a similar capacity would mean 70-80% dependence on just one generating facility, which is extremely dangerous from the point of view of the state's energy security, since one must always keep in mind the possibility of its shutdown for scheduled repairs, refueling, and emergency shutdowns from the grid.
"Based on my work experience, I can confirm that this is simply impossible. All these factors taken together indicate the need to build a new unit with a much lower capacity - up to 600 MW," said the former deputy minister. He added that to ensure the flexibility of the energy system, the republic needs small nuclear power plants, preferably two stations with a capacity of 300 MW each. When choosing a manufacturer of such units, it is very important to keep in mind that relations with them must be maintained for 100 years, since their service life is 60 years with the possibility of extending this period for another 40 years. Here, it is also necessary to take into account fuel supplies, maintenance during the entire period of operation, etc. "When determining the model of a new NPP, we should not forget about the geographical location of the country, in particular, where the nuclear fuel will be supplied from. Our current partner has settled issues related to logistics, but now it is very important to know how the future partner will solve the problem of supplies and the type of nuclear fuel," Vardanyan said.
He noted that the issue of building a nuclear power unit with a small modular reactor in the country is also on the agenda of discussions today.
"It would be great if we were dealing with a reference unit that has already been built and proven its efficiency in other countries, but since there are none, we need to find units of medium capacity - 600 or 300 MW. Such units, although there are not many of them, exist. And then, we need to take into account that small NPPs and modular NPPs are different stations. And it is not necessary for these units to be necessarily of Western manufacture. In a word, a decision will have to be made based on all of the above," the former deputy minister emphasized, adding that as of today, there is not a single NPP with a small modular reactor built in the world. One company in the United States received a license to build six units with SMRs, but was forced to abandon their construction due to high capital costs. The former official noted that, together with American partners, a decision was made to give points for each of the 450 aspects of the project, which will make it possible to decide on this issue.
Currently the second program to extend the service life of the second power unit of the Armenian NPP operating in the country is being implemented by 10 years - until 2036. By this time, a new nuclear power unit should be built in the republic. The problem rests on the choice of its capacity. On August 1 of last year, by the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers, ZAO "Construction of a new nuclear power unit" was created, which should be engaged in the selection of the manufacturer of the new NPP, the construction process itself and further operation. The company is financed from the state budget of the country. As expected, the first results of the studies will be presented in the middle of this year.
