YEREVAN. - Armatom Scientific Research Institute will develop an industry earthquake protection system project for the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant by May 2017.

Director of the Institute, Vahram Poghosyan, said the aforementioned to Armenian News – NEWS.am on Wednesday.

The work is carried out in the framework of the program on extending the NPP's lifetime till the end of 2026.

The Institute is now developing a benchmark database for thermofluid dynamic design of the reactor. The first version of the database has already been developed; corrections will be made in it in the coming months. In the future, Russian Hydropress Experimental Design Bureau – the key projector and constructor of the reactor facility at the Armenian NPP - will make use of that database.

Armatom is implementing these two projects according to the agreement with Rusatom Service, the principal contractor of work aimed at extending the lifetime of the NPP.

According to Petrosyan, Rusatom Service is the principal contractor but it works with several subcontracting Armenian companies, including Armatom.

The results of the studies on the current condition of the NPP (based on which the extension project will be developed) has already been sent to the State Nuclear Safety Regulatory Committee by the Government of Armenia, which will present its conclusion by the end of 2016.

The work on extending the lifetime of the Armenian NPP is carried out in the framework of the $270 mln credit line and $30 mln grant from the Russian Government. The lifetime of the NPP will be extended for ten years, till 2026. It is planned to complete the construction of a new electrical power unit before that.