YEREVAN. - Feasibility study for the construction of a new unit of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) will be published by the end of the year, Armenian Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Armen Movsisyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am reporter.

International consortium Worley Parsons won the right of state-tender in presenting feasibility study for the construction of new NPP unit and the choice of selecting the new management staff for the construction. The Minister evaded talking about the cost of the construction and other key parameters of the feasibility study till its publication.

As was earlier reported, Armenian-Russian joint Metsamorenergyatom Company will implement the construction. Armenian Ministry of Energy and Russian State Corporation “Rosatom” signed an agreement to reserve the equipment of the “nuclear island,” which will be one of the centers of the future NPP. Asked whether it is possible for the Russian and Western companies to share the “nuclear island” and automation of the new NPP, the Minister said that negotiations with the possible partners have not been finished yet.

According to previous estimations, the new NPP unit will have a capacity of 1060 MW (current NPP has 407.5 MW). Construction is estimated at about $5 billion. Operation of a new NPP unit is planned to start by 2017.