Russian companies plan to tender for designing and constructing a new nuclear power unit in Armenia, Pavel Moskalev, Chief Engineer of the Belene NPP construction project in Bulgaria, told NEWS.am. The Atonstroyeksport (AtomConstructionExport) CJSC is implementing the project. The company intends to tender for the construction of the 3rd nuclear power unit in Armenia.

Moskalev considers the company’s chances for success as quite high. “I am not interested in politics and I am not aware of the situation, but, technically we have no equals,” Moskalev said. According to him, the company can present a nearly ready project now. “We have considered all the peculiarities of Armenia, particularly high-level seismic hazards, and our project technically secures the new power unit against an earthquake measuring 9 on the Richter scale. We have also considered the second specific feature, air routes across Armenia, and the new power unit must be secured against a possible air brash. Our project secures the new power unit against a possible crash of a plane weighing up to 4.5 tons,” Moskalev said.

He stressed that keen competition should be expected. “The U.S. Westinghouse Company will be our main rival. As regards the French Areva Company, it has not yet prepared a project. Nonetheless, we have better chances,” Moskalev said. He pointed out that the Atonstroyeksport Company is now involved in a long-term development project for the Armenian NPP. An especially important aspect of the company’s activities is that it normally closely cooperates with local construction, research and industrial companies thereby creating new jobs and attracting industrial potential, equipment and building materials.

The Atonstroyeksport Company is currently implementing construction projects in Bulgaria, India, Belarus. It is also tendering for contracts in Turkey, Morocco, Jordan, Czech Republic and China.

The annual energy output of the nuclear power plant (NPP) in Metsamor, Armenia, is 2bn kW now. In 2006, the RA Government stated that the NPP’s operating life was to expire in 2016. By signing an action plan under the New European Partnership program, Armenia pledged to shut down the old power unit (407.5MW) as soon as possible. The Armenian Government stated that the NPP would be shut down only after alternative capacities were put into operation.

Armenia plans to construct a new nuclear power unit with a capacity of 1,200MW, and an operating life of 60 years, before 2016. The construction project is estimated at U.S. $4bn, with such investors as the Eurasian Development Bank involved.