Prior to 1991, Armenia, as a part of the then Soviet Union (USSR), followed the unified All-Union energy policy. The electricity generated by Armenian power plants was connected to the Transcaucasian Energy System. After becoming an independent state, Armenia had to meet open market requirements in all the branches of the energy industry. The energy sector and the nuclear energy sector in particular were deeply affected by the economic difficulties during the market transition and in need of reorganization and deregulation. Since that time, the Armenian energy sector has been modernized and a number of new laws and Governmental decisions were adopted to stabilize the energy sector.

According to the Law on Energy of the Republic of Armenia (RA), the main principle of the Government policy in the Energy sector is the separation of economic activity, state management and regulation functions. According to this main regulating principle, the rights of the consumers and economic interests in the energy sector were balanced. Also according to this Law, the functions of regulation were given to the Commission on Public Services. In March 1999, the National Assembly of RA adopted the Law “On Safe Use of Nuclear Energy for Peaceful Purposes”.

In March 2000, the National Assembly of RA adopted the Law on Amendments and Additions to the Law on Safe Use of Nuclear Energy for Peaceful Purposes. In particular, one of the amendments reads: “Those facilities that are important in view of nuclear safety must be constructed and decommissioned by the Law, draft of which should be submitted to the National Assembly of RA by the Government”. In November 2004, the National Assembly adopted the Law on Amendments and Additions to the Law on Safe Use of Nuclear Energy for Peaceful Purposes, according to which the newly constructed nuclear power facilities in Armenia can be owned by different types of entities, radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel remain state owned, and the operators of nuclear facilities cannot declare bankruptcy.

On 30 September 2013, the National Assembly of RA adopted the Law on Amendments and Additions to the Law on Safe Use of Nuclear Energy for Peaceful Purposes. The amendments and additions in the Law on Safe Use of Nuclear Energy for Peaceful Purposes were associated with the nuclear material accounting and control items.

On 16 March 2004, amendments were made to the Law on Licensing, according to which it is necessary to have a licence for the following activities: design, site selection, construction, operation, decommissioning, etc. of nuclear facilities; radioactive waste storage and disposal; as well as for nuclear materials and radioactive waste processing, transportation and other activities. The rules for obtaining licences for these activities were established with the use of a number of appropriate government decrees.

On 8 December 2005, an amendment was made to the Law on Population Protection in Emergency Situations according to which, in the case of nuclear or radiation emergency at the nuclear power plant (NPP), the functions of all involved responsible organizations shall be determined by Government decree. On 22 December 2005, Government decree No. 2328 “National Plan for Population Protection in case of Nuclear and/or Radiation Emergency at the Armenian NPP” was issued. As a result of nuclear or radiation emergency exercises at the nuclear power plant, a new edition of the “National Plan for Population Protection in case of Nuclear and/or Radiation Emergency at the Armenian NPP” was created and adopted by the Government decree No. 194 on 17 January 2008.

The radiation safety and protection requirements for the plant workers and population (including critical groups and the population in general) are stated in Government decrees N 1219, “Radiation Safety Norms”, 2006 and N 1489 “Radiation Safety Rules”, 2006.

By Government decree No. 1296 of 1 November 2007, the Armenian Ministry of Energy Action Programme was adopted according to the National Security Strategy. According to this programme, it was envisaged that the new nuclear power unit(s) be put into operation immediately after the shutdown of the existing one to cover the lack of capacity. According to that document, and taking into consideration the needs of country energy independence, preference was given to the 1000 MW(e) nuclear power unit.

According to Protocol Decision No. 14 “On Approval of the Concept for Ensuring Energy Security in the Republic of Armenia” of the RA Government session No. 50, of 22 December 2011, the importance of increasing the safety level of Unit 2 and based on the importance of national energy security and independence, the necessity of constructing a new unit was restated. This decision also discussed the possibility of continuing the operation of Armenian NPP (ANPP) Unit 2 after 2016.

The “Energy Security Ensuring Concept of the Republic of Armenia” was adopted by the President of RA on 23 October 2013, according to which Armenia would continue use of the existing nuclear unit until commissioning a new one.

By the Government decree No. 863-N on 31 July 2014, measures of the concept of energy security was scheduled to take place between 2014 and 2020.

“Long-term (up to 2036) development pathways for the Armenian energy sector” were approved by the Government on 10 December 2015. The need for nuclear development was once again stated — a measure which would ensure the necessary level of energy security and independence by 2027, through operation of a new nuclear power plant up to 600 MW capacity.

On 19 April 2012, RA Government decision No. 461-N “On Extension of Service Life of Unit 2 of Armenian NPP” was issued. According to this decision, the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources was assigned to organize activities on development of the programme on extension of service life of ANPP Unit 2 and to estimate the amount of financial resources required for implementation of activities on extension of service life of ANPP Unit 2, as well as to submit them to the RA Government for discussion in September 2013.

The requirements for the extension of design lifetime regarding the operation of ANPP Unit 2 were confirmed by the RA Government in its decision No. 1085-N which was adopted on 23 August 2013.

On 27 March 2014, the RA Government decision No. 12 point 11, “The programme for the design lifetime extension of Unit 2 of “Haykakan Atomayin Electrakayan” Closed Joint Stock Company”, was adopted. The government assigned the Minister of Finance to sign the Intergovernmental Agreement between the RA and Russian Federation (RF) on credit resources for the implementation of the programme developed under the 1st point of the decision by 1 May 2014.

Finally, on 27 October 2009, the Law of the RA “On Construction of a New NPP in the Republic of Armenia” was adopted, which serves as the legal basis for construction of a new NPP in Armenia.

The company WorleyParsons was selected in May 2009 by an international tender as a management company for the construction of the new nuclear power unit. Since the selection, WorleyParsons finalized the development of “Banking Feasibility Study” document, which is necessary for the involvement of investors.

As a result of the Banking Feasibility Study document by the decision of the Government of the Republic of Armenia No. 1458 on December 3, 2009, a Russian NPP-92 (AES-92) design (capacity — 1060 MW; operation lifetime — 60 years) was selected and approved for the nuclear island of a new NPP. The turbine island and control system of the new nuclear unit will be selected based on a tender.

The decree “On Establishment of a Closed Joint-Stock Company (CJSC) Aimed at Construction of a New NPP in the Republic of Armenia” was adopted on 3 December 2009. “Metsamorenergoatom” CJSC was established with the involvement of the RA Government and Atomstroyexport CJSC, which was delegated by Rosatom, a Russian State Corporation. Metsamorenergoatom CJSC is open to other investors and has already received the licence for selection of the site for the construction of the new unit.

On 26 March 2010, the Rosatom State Corporation and the RA Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources signed an agreement on nuclear island equipment reservation aimed at equipping the new nuclear unit in the RA.

An agreement between the RA and RF Governments was signed on 20 August 2010 to envisage the nuclear island equipment supply provisions and is already ratified. Other nuclear unit components of the project, i.e. turbine island and I&C systems, are subject to negotiations with suppliers.

On 12 January 2017 RA Government decision No. 122-N approved the activity and priority tasks plan of the Government in 2017 which foresees to submit to the Government of the Republic of Armenia the schedule of the NPP construction upon approval of the plan.

The design safety requirements for NPP unit(s) were adopted by RA Government decision No. 1411-N on 8 November 2012.

The Method on Seismic Hazard Assessment for new nuclear unit site safety requirements for NPP unit(s) was adopted by RA Government in decision No. 1546-N on 13 December 2012.

Site safety requirements for new NPP unit(s) were adopted by the RA Government in decision No. 708-N on 4 July 2013.

The list of internal legal acts applied in the field of atomic energy utilization in Russian and in English was adopted by RA Government in decision No. 709-N on 4 July 2013.

The main sources of energy traditionally used in Armenia are: oil products, natural gas, nuclear energy, hydropower and coal. Hydro and a small amount of brown coal are the only domestic sources of energy which are exploited. On 29 December 2016, the RA Government approved “Hydro energy development concept of Armenia”. The Republic of Armenia has some gas reserves (not exploited) and no oil reserves. The geological forecast projects that some quantity of uranium may exist in Armenia, and in July 2008, a Russian–Armenian joint venture was established for uranium geological exploration and mining. Within the framework of this project, the collection and analysis of the archival material relevant to uranium mining was completed. The document Geologic Exploration Activity for 2009–2010 focusing on uranium ore exploration in the Republic of Armenia was developed and approved. According to this document, in the spring of 2009 the field work related to uranium ore exploration commenced close to Lernadzor in the province of Syunik, and it was ongoing as of mid-2012. Since it had not met with promising results by the end of 2013, the Russian–Armenian Joint Venture Company was closed.

The energy reserves are shown in Table 1. To meet its energy requirements, Armenia imports gas, oil products and nuclear fuel.

TABLE 1. ESTIMATED ENERGY RESERVES

	Estimated available energy sources
	Fossil Fuels			Nuclear	Renewables
	Solid1	Liquid2	Gas3	Uranium4	Hydro5	Other Renewable5 (Wind)
Total amount in specific units*	—	—	176.0	—	7.0	1.1
Total amount in petajoule (PJ)	—	—	6.0	—	25.0	4.0

* Sources: World Energy Resources: Survey 2013, WEC 2013 and Uranium 2016: Resources, Production and Demand (“Red Book”), IAEA Energy and Economic Database, Country Information.

Estimated energy reserves in (solid and liquid in million tons, uranium in metric tons, gas in billion m³, hydro and renewable in TWh per year).

¹ Coal including lignite: proven recoverable reserves, the tonnage within the proven amount in place that can be recovered in the future under present and expected local economic conditions with existing available technology.

² Crude oil and natural gas liquids (oil shale, natural bitumen and extra-heavy oil are not included): proven recoverable reserves, the quantity within the proven amount in place that can be recovered in the future under present and expected local economic conditions with existing available technology.

³ Natural gas: proven recoverable reserves, the volume within the proven amount in place that can be recovered in the future under present and expected local economic conditions with existing available technology

⁴ Reasonably assured resources (RAR) under < USD 130/kgU.

⁵ Hydropower and renewable technically exploitable capability, the amount of the gross theoretical capability that can be exploited within the limits of current technology.

Primary energy sources, in Petajoules (PJ), are summarized in Table 2. To meet its energy requirements, Armenia has to import gas, oil products and nuclear fuel.

TABLE 2. ENERGY STATISTICS (PJ)

					Average annual growth rate (%)
	2000	2005	2010	2014	2000 to 2014
Energy consumption*
- Total	92.0	109.0	107.25	127.93	2.22
- Solids**	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
- Liquids	13.0	17.0	16.0	13.62	0.31
- Gases	52.0	56.0	54.1	78.81	2.81
- Nuclear	22.0	30.0	27.2	26.9	1.35
- Hydro	5.0	6.0	9.2	7.17	2.43
- Other renewables	0.01	0.34	0.75	1.43	39.21
Energy production
- Total	27.01	36.34	37.15	35.40	1.82
- Solids**	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.0
- Liquids	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.0
- Gases	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.0
- Nuclear	22.0	30.0	27.2	26.9	1.35
- Hydro	5.0	6.0	9.2	7.17	2.43
- Other renewables	0.01	0.34	0.75	1.43	39.21
Net import (Import - Export)
- Total	64.9	72.66	70.10	92.53

* Energy consumption = Primary energy consumption + Net import (Import - Export) of secondary energy.

** Solid fuels include coal, lignite.

Source: IAEA Energy and Economic Database and Country Information.

The Ministry of Energy and Fuel of RA was established in 1992. In May 2008, the Ministry of Energy and Fuel of RA was rebranded as the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of RA, and most recently in 2016 became the Ministry of Energy Infrastructure and Natural Resources of RA. This Ministry is responsible for ensuring the development and implementation of state policy on the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, energy independence of the RA, and the efficient use of alternative sources and domestic energy resources. It is responsible for defining policy for development of the energy sectors and infrastructure of Armenia. The duties of the Nuclear Safety Regulation State Committee under the Government of RA are to perform nuclear energy regulation and supervision of nuclear powered objects, issue licences and control the fulfilment of licence requirements. Its main objective is to secure the protection of the population, the personnel involved in the nuclear industry, and the environment.

The Public Services Regulatory Commission of the RA is responsible for the antimonopoly regulation. The key functions of antimonopoly regulation are tariff regulation and licensing of entities in the energy sector.

The operator of the Electric Energy Network is responsible for the dispatching activity, and the Settlement Centre is in charge of calculation of wholesale trade of electric energy. It also approves the balance between the participants of the trade.

The structure of management of the Energy Sector in Armenia is shown in Figure 1.

FIG. 1. Structure of management of the Energy Sector.

The Government dedicates special attention to restructuring the electricity sector, with a number of energy laws adopted to achieve that target. A programme for improvement of metering, billing and collection of payments for electricity, heat and natural gas has been implemented, together with the conversion of the accounting system to international norms and standards and annual auditing of the company’s financial reports by independent auditors. A programme was implemented to organize collections through banks. Despite limited economic difficulties, the Government gives priority to budget payments for the electricity provided to budget organizations, as well as compensation for the electricity consumed by irrigation, drinking water, industry and electrical transport companies.

The implementation of a stabilization policy, with the crucial role of restarting the ANPP, allowed the country to overcome the electric energy crisis of the post-Soviet period. Now, Armenia is covering its electricity demand completely and is even exporting electric energy to neighbouring countries. In the near future, however, additional energy sources may be required as living standards rise.

For Armenia, it is critical to be involved in the regional power market, which is currently in the process of formation and which foresees the establishment of a circular power system of Black Sea countries, as well as the creation of north–south parallel operation relations.

On 1 January 2017 the total capacity of the electric energy generating plants in Armenia was 4.1 GW(e). In 2016, electricity production was 7.32 billion kWh. Table 3 shows the historical statistics of electricity production and its distribution by plant types; Table 4 shows the energy related ratios. In 2016, the electricity consumption was around 2000 kWh/capita in Armenia. The electricity consumption of Yerevan city is about 35% of the total electricity consumption in Armenia.

TABLE 3. ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION, CONSUMPTION AND CAPACITY

							Average annual growth rate (%)
	1988	2000	2005	2010	2015	2016	2000 to 2016
Capacity of electrical plants (GW(e))
- Thermal	1.74	1.74	1.74	1.99	2.43	2.43	2.25
- Hydro (incl. small HPPs & wind)	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.10	1.25	1.29	1.71
- Nuclear	0.76	0.38	0.38	0.38	0.38	0.38	0.00
- Total	3.51	3.12	3.12	3.47	4.06	4.10	1.84
Electricity production (TWh)
- Thermal	8.94	2.69	1.83	1.41	2.80	2.58	-0.28
- Hydro (incl. small HPPs & wind)	1.52	1.26	1.66	2.59	2.21	2.36	4.27
- Nuclear	4.82	2.01	2.72	2.49	2.79	2.38	1.13
- Total1	15.28	5.96	6.21	6.49	7.80	7.32	1.38
Total electricity consumption (TWh)	12.39	4.77	4.89	5.21	6.10	5.92	1.45

¹ Electricity losses are not deducted.

Source: IAEA Energy and Economic Database; Country Information.

TABLE 4. ENERGY RELATED RATIOS

	2000	2005	2010	2014	2016
Energy consumption per capita (GJ/capita)	24.2	31.2	29.4	38.2	n/a
Electricity per capita (MWh/capita)	1.49	1.52	1.60	1.97	2.03
Electricity production/Energy production (%)	81	63	64	78	n/a
Nuclear/total electricity (%)	33.7	43.7	38.4	31.8	32.5
Ratio of external dependency (%)1	68	67	66	72	n/a

Source: IAEA Energy and Economic Database; Country Information.

¹ Net import/Total energy consumption.

A decision to construct a nuclear power plant in Armenia was made by the former USSR Council of Ministers, and the appropriate decree was issued in September 1966. In 1968, the Armenian Branch of the “Electrosetproject” Institute completed the pre-feasibility study for constructing the ANPP under the project “The Scheme of NPP Contribution to Power Grid”. That document included a schedule to commission Unit 1 in 1973, and Unit 2 in 1974.

The technical specification to design the ANPP was developed by “Teploelectroproject” in 1968 and approved in August 1969 under decree No. 1624 R.C. of the former USSR Ministry of Energy.

More than 20 potential sites were considered for the ANPP construction, and finally a site was selected in the western part of the Ararat valley, 16 km from Turkish border, 10 km to the north-east of regional centre — Hoktemberyan (Armavir), and 28 km (to the west) from Yerevan. The location of the ANPP is shown in Figure 3.

In accordance with that specification, the capacity of the ANPP (first stage of construction) with VVER-440 type reactors was 815.0 MW (407.5 MW for each unit). The ANPP design lifetime was specified to be 30 years.

Initial comprehensive studies and analyses showed that seismic conditions of the ANPP site were characterized at an intensity level of eight-points according to MSK-64 scale. It was the first nuclear power plant in the USSR intended to be constructed in a region of high seismicity.

The specific nature of the ANPP site — its seismicity — caused significant changes in the design of VVER-440/230, not only in construction, but also in the design of the reactor facility as a whole, and the reactor was assigned the new identification V-270. The design of the reactor was based on Units 3 and 4 of the Novovoronezh NPP.

The reactor building, auxiliary building, ventilation stack, as well as the buildings and structures containing equipment and instrumentation of safety systems or safety-related on-line systems and communications connecting these structures were assigned a category of High Importance. They were considered to have one point more seismic resistance than that of the ANPP site.

The ANPP was commissioned in 1976, achieving initial criticality for Unit 1 on 22 December 1976 and for Unit 2 on 5 January 1980. The units were put into commercial operation on 6 October 1977 and 3 May 1980, respectively.

In 1981, the technical-economic background was developed for the further expansion of the ANPP (the second stage of the plant), taking into consideration the central heating needs of Yerevan city. The technical-economic background was approved and coordinated with all the relevant organizations. In 1985, the Gorki Department of “Atomteploelectroproject” Institute prepared a project: “Armenian NPP: Its expansion, taking into consideration the central heating in Yerevan city”. The excavation work was begun and the foundation pits for two new units (Unit 3, Unit 4) were dug. However following the Chernobyl disaster of 1986, the Government of the Republic made a decision to refuse further expansion of the ANPP. The construction work was stopped as a result.

After the 1988 earthquake, although the ANPP was not damaged, the Council of Ministers of the USSR decreed to shut down the ANPP as a precautionary measure. Unit 1 was shut down on 25 February 1989 and Unit 2 on 18 March 1989. The units were not decommissioned, but were kept in prolonged shutdown condition.

In April 1993, the Government of Armenia decided to restart Unit 2 of the ANPP in order to overcome the severe economic crisis, taking into account the lack in national energy resources. Following 6.5 years of outage, with the technical and financial help of the Russian Federation, Unit 2 of the ANPP was restarted on 5 November 1995. Unit 1 remained in a state of stand-still.

According to the decision of the RA Government on 27 March 2014, the works for the extension of the ANPP Unit 2 design lifetime have been launched. After the execution of the work, the relevant documents will be submitted to the Armenian Nuclear Regulatory Authority to receive a licence for extension in operation lifetime.

Following the ANPP restart, 48.9 billion kWh of electric energy has been generated by 1 January 2017, keeping to the load schedule of the Armenian power system.

The following organizations, institutions and state bodies are currently involved in activity related to the operation of ANPP:

According to Government decree No. 98 of 4 April 1996, the CJSC “Armenian NPP” was created and authorized to be the operator of the nuclear power plant. For other purposes, such as liability to foreign countries, the State is assumed to be the operator.

In Armenia, the ANPP is under state ownership according to the Law on Safe Use of Nuclear Energy for Peaceful Purposes.

The Armenian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ANRA) was established in 1993. The ANRA was authorized to be the regulatory body in the area of nuclear and radiation safety, to perform inspection activities and issue the licences for the appropriate applications (see more detailed information in Section 3.1).

During the period of preparation for the ANPP restart (1993–1996), the Armatomenergo was established under the Ministry of Energy and Fuel. Armatomenergo was authorized with the functions of operator of the ANPP. On 4 April 1996, by Government decree No. 98, the operation of the Armatomenergo ceased, and the CJSC “Armenian NPP” was given the functions of operator.

The “Armatom” Institute was established in 1973. Having provided engineering support to the ANPP, the Institute undertakes work such as: implementation of diagnostic systems, implementation of the Safety Parameters Display System (SPDS), and development of compact and multi-functional simulators within the ANPP. Armatom is participating in the development of “Deterministic Analysis of ANPP Unit 2” and “Probabilistic Safety Analysis of ANPP Unit 2” documents.

CJSC “Atomservice” was established in 1987. The company took active part in adjusting the plant systems and implementing testing programmes during the period of preparation for the ANPP Unit 2 restart. It continues to perform the same activity.

CJSC “Atomenergoseismoproject” was established in 1983. During the period of preparation for restart of Unit 2 of the ANPP, a set of works on finishing investigations of seismic conditions at the plant was performed by CJSC Atomenergoseismoproject for final resolution on all the issues relevant to the plant restart and its further operation. One of the major results of investigations conducted was that the ANPP has been erected on a whole (non-destructed) basalt block, i.e. absence of a tectonically active break under the ANPP site was proven. At present, the CJSC Atomenergoseismoproject is part of the “Scientific Research Institute of Energy” CJSC.

There are several organizations that oversee construction, repair, mounting and other related activities in regards to the operation of the ANPP.

In Armenia, the All-Armenian Atomic Power Engineers Association was established. The founders of the Association are specialists from such organizations as the Ministry of Energy of RA, ANPP, ANRA, the State Engineering University (SEUA), and other nuclear power specialists.

The main objectives of the Association are as follows:

1. To promote development of scientific ideas in nuclear engineering;

2. To support promotion and further development of nuclear energy;

3. To conduct peaceful research and tests in the field of atomic energy, according to established procedures;

4. To organize public discussions of problems relevant to nuclear energy;

5. To ensure the promotion of nuclear energy by:

1. Publishing articles, magazines, books, dictionaries and reference books;

2. Organizing scientific seminars;

3. Creating radio programmes, documentary and scientific films, video cassettes devoted to nuclear energy;

4. Creating computer training and demonstration programmes.

The ANPP consists of two VVER-440 (V-270) type nuclear power units that were designed and constructed by organizations of the former Soviet Union under the supervision of the Ministry of Energy and Electrification of the USSR. The design of the first stage of the plant was developed in 1969–1970. The chief scientific supervisor was the Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy (Moscow). Now, it is called RNC “Kurchatov Institute”. The chief design organization was Teploelectroproject (TEP), Gorki. Now it is called NIAEP, Nizhny Novgorod. The main reactor construction organization was OKB “Gidropress”, Podolsk. The “Izhora Factory” Leningrad Enterprise was the manufacturer of the reactors and systems. The turbines were manufactured by the Kharkov Turbine Plant (KHTP). The electric generators were supplied by the “Electrosila” plant of Leningrad. The building-construction work was performed by the “Gidroenergostroy”, Yerevan.

Since 1989, Unit 1 has remained at a stand-still regime. Since its restart in 1995, Unit 2 of the ANPP has been in operation. Unit 2 has an installed gross capacity of 407.5 MW.

All the nuclear fuel necessary for the ANPP operation was delivered in the past and is currently being delivered by the “TVEL” Concern of the Russian Federation.

Table 5 shows the status and some other indicators of the nuclear power units of the ANPP.

TABLE 5. STATUS OF NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS

Reactor Unit	Type	Net Capacity [MW(e)]	Status	Operator	Reactor Supplier	Construction Date	First Criticality Date	First Grid Date	Commercial Date	Shutdown Date	UCF for 2016
ARMENIAN-2	PWR	375	Operational	ANPPCJSC	FAEA	1975-07-01	1980-01-01	1980-01-05	1980-05-03		67.8
ARMENIAN-1	PWR	376	Permanent Shutdown	ANPPCJSC	FAEA	1969-07-01	1976-12-15	1976-12-22	1977-10-06	1989-02-25

Data source: IAEA - Power Reactor Information System (PRIS).

Note: Table 7 is completely generated from PRIS data to reflect the latest available information and may be more up to date than the text of the report.

Source: IAEA Power Reactor Information System.

In 2015, the ANPP generated 2.79 billion kWh — the maximum amount generated since the ANPP restart.

The main organizations and institutions involved in nuclear energy in Armenia are: the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, The Nuclear Safety Regulation State Committee under the Government of RA (still referred to as “ANRA”), CJSC “ANPP”, CJSC “Armatom”, CJSC “Atomservice” and CJSC “Atomenergoseismoproject”. Some technical support was provided by organizations of the Russian Federation, e.g. OKB “Gidropress” — main reactor designer, “NIIAEP Nizhnii Novgorod” — main NPP designer, RNC “Kurchatov Institute” — scientific management, among others.

In 1995, Unit 2 of the ANPP had five emergency events of level 0 on the International Nuclear Event Scale (INES) (below scale, deviation). In 1996, 8 emergency events occurred at the ANPP, including: one of level 1 (anomaly) and seven of level 0 on the INES scale. In 1997, five emergency events occurred at the ANPP, including: two of level 1 and three of level 0 on the INES scale. In 1998, seven emergency events occurred at the ANPP, including: two of level 2, one of level 1 and four of level 0 on the INES scale. In 1999, one emergency shutdown and one event of level 1 occurred. In 2000, there were three events reported: one event was rated level 1 and two events were rated level 0. In 2001, eight emergency events occurred at the ANPP, including: three of level 1 and five of level 0 on the INES scale. In 2002, eight emergency events of level 0 on the INES scale occurred at the ANPP. There were two emergency shutdowns that year. In 2003, there were two emergency events, one of level 0 and one of level 1 on the INES scale. There was one emergency shutdown in 2003. In 2004, there were two emergency events of level 1 on the INES scale. In 2005, 2006 and 2007 no emergency events on the INES scale occurred. In 2008, during the operation of Unit 2 of the ANPP, one event of level 1 was registered, and the reactor was scrammed, which was caused by an accident in the grid. In 2009, there were five recorded events in the plant operation, four events were classified according to INES level 0 and one event was classified as safety significant level 1event on the INES scale. In 2010, there were seven recorded events in the plant operation and all events were classified according to INES level 0. In 2011, there were four recorded events at the plant, and all events were classified according to INES level 0. In 2012, during the operation of Unit 2 of the ANPP, two events of level 0 were registered. The reactor was not scrammed. In 2013, there were five recorded events in the plant operation, four events were classified according to INES level 0 and one event was classified according to INES level 1, and the reactor was manually scrammed. In 2014 there were five recorded events in the plant operation, and five events were classified according to INES level 0. In 2015 there were four recorded events and all events were classified according to INES level 0. In 2016, during the operation of Unit 2 of the ANPP, 0 events were registered.

The issues of the ANPP safety upgrade are of great importance for the Armenian Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, and safety concerns were a primary consideration by the Armenian Government. After numerous consultations with experts from the United States of America, Western European countries and the Russian Federation, and assistance from the experts from the IAEA, Armenian specialists developed a new programme for the ANPP safety upgrade. The programme was called “List of safety upgrading activities for the period of 2009–2016 of Unit 2 of the Armenian NPP”. The safety upgrading process, was previously permanently implemented at the ANPP, and is being realized according to the provisions of that programme. Since the restart of the ANPP, and up to 1 January 2017, more than 214 safety upgrade activities and 1530 safety improvement measures (modifications according to technical decisions, improving safety and reliability of NPP equipment and systems) have been completed, so the plant can withstand emergency situations without failures.

In the summer of 2005, the then Director General of the IAEA M. ElBaradei visited Armenia. During the high level meeting, he assured Armenia of IAEA assistance to coordinate the activities on the upgrading of the ANPP. On 18–19 May 2010, the 4^th IAEA working meeting was held on Coordination of International Assistance to the ANPP safety upgrading in Yerevan. The decision was made to review the existing “List of safety upgrading activities for the period of 2009–2016 of Unit 2 of the Armenian NPP” on the base of the SAR and PSA documents. The 6^th IAEA working meeting for coordination of international technical assistance to ANPP was held in 2014 in Yerevan.

On 18–19 April 2012, IAEA Director General Y. Amano had meetings with the President, Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of RA. During the meetings, the issues concerning the cooperation between RA and IAEA in the field of peaceful use of nuclear energy were discussed. In particular:

1. The issues related to the continuation of coordination work for increasing the safety level of ANPP Unit 2, technical assistance aimed at increasing its safety level and strengthening its security through physical protection. Technical assistance for decommissioning the ANPP was also discussed.

2. The issues concerning various implementation stages of construction of a new nuclear power unit in RA, including creation of appropriate infrastructure, reviewing and proofreading of documents prepared for the licensing, and specialised training.

3. The issues related to strengthening the capacity of RA State Nuclear Safety Regulatory Committee by the Government, technical assistance in activities during various stages of the licensing process of the new nuclear power unit in RA.

4. The long-term development projects in radiation therapy were also discussed.

The IAEA delegation visited the ANPP and toured its operating unit. Activities, according to the programme, for increasing the safety and security level of ANPP Unit 2 and future plans for the unit were presented to them.

Since 1996, the Nuclear Energy Safety Council has acted under the President of RA in Armenia. Its general duty is to report annually to the President on the state of nuclear energy safety at the ANPP. The members of the Council thoroughly review the relevant documents and appropriate specialists reports before reporting to the President. The Council consists of internationally acknowledged specialists in the field of nuclear energy. In November 2013, the 13^th Council Conference took place in Yerevan.

The Ministry of Energy Infrastructure and Natural Resources, which defines policy for the whole energy sector, is responsible for the development of the ANPP safe operation programmes in close cooperation with other responsible bodies.

The IAEA assembled an international team of experts at the request of the Government of RA to conduct an Operational Safety Review Team (OSART) review of the NPP. Under the leadership of the IAEA, Division of Nuclear Installation Safety, the OSART team performed an in-depth operational safety review in May 2011 of the aspects essential to the safe operation of the ANPP. The conclusions of the review are based on the IAEA Safety Standards and proven good international practices. The OSART team made 14 recommendations and 12 suggestions related to areas where operational safety of ANPP could be improved. Also, the OSART team identified good plant practices to be shared with the rest of the nuclear industry for consideration of their application. ANPP has already developed a detailed plan of action for implementation of these recommendations and assignments, and the improvements have already started. In June 2013, an IAEA review mission visited ANPP to revise the implementation of assignments and recommendations of the OSART mission. The mission noted the high level of the work towards fulfilling its suggestions and recommendations and, at the same time, pointed out certain issues concerning RAO management that should be addressed. Follow-up Mission recommendations and suggestions are under implementation until their full completion (elimination of comments).

A full-scale peer review mission of World Association of Nuclear Operators Moscow Centre (WANO MC) was carried out at ANPP on 13–19 June 2013, and the Corporate Peer Review (CPR) of WANO MC was carried out on 21–29 June 2013. The previous WANO MC PR was carried out at HAEK CJSC in 2004 and the follow-up PR mission of WANO MC was carried out in 2007. The CPR of WANO MC was carried out at HAEK CJSC for the first time. During preparation for the mission, self-assessments of various activity types were performed to ensure compliance with WANO requirements, in addition to quality audits and inspections. Based on the results, corrective measures were implemented aimed at the elimination of identified deficiencies. In total, there were more than 1000 corrective measures.

Following the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi NPP, the interest of the public, media and the Government of the RA in issues related to nuclear safety has significantly increased. In particular, the RA Government requested the ANRA and the ANPP to increase efforts on nuclear safety and emergency preparedness and to join the European Union initiative related to conduct of stress tests. Thus, in August 2015 the ANRA, based on the ANPP self-assessment report, submitted the National Report on Stress Test for Armenian Nuclear Power Plant, developed in accordance with the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group (ENSREG) technical specifications, to the European Commission for peer review. The National Report was posted on the ENSREG web page and also on the ANRA web page. The desktop review of the Armenian National Report on Stress Tests by ENSREG Members and the European Commission took place from 15 February to 31 March 2016. As a result, 196 questions on the national report from the European Commission and the ENSREG Members were sent to the ANRA by 29 April 2016. The answers to the questions posed were prepared by the ANRA, the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Center and the ANPP and were provided to the European Commission by 31 May 2016. The European Commission Peer Review Mission to Armenia took place from 20 to 24 June 2016. The European Commission peer review team (PRT) was composed of 10 European Union experts (8 from European Union Member states who had been nominated by the ENSREG members and 2 from the European Commission). The conclusions of the European Commission experts to the ANPP “stress test” are summarized the PRT report, based on which a national action plan will be developed.

The preliminary results of stress-tests and assessment of safety margins allow the safety of ANPP to be stated. At the same time the weaknesses and areas for improvement have been identified along with specific recommendations which ANPP should implement to receive the ANRA’s licence for Unit 2 lifetime extension.

A number of Government decrees were adopted with regard to decommissioning of the ANPP:

1. A special fund for decommissioning of the ANPP was created under the Ministry of Finance of RA, and the ANPP regularly makes allocations to that fund from the amount included in the ANPP electricity tariff. The ANPP Decommissioning Fund is functioning properly.

2. The Management Board of the Fund was created. The Deputy Prime Minister of RA was elected Chairman of the Board, which includes a number of Government members.

3. The ANPP Decommissioning Strategy was adopted by the Government of RA in November 2007.

Under the framework of the Action Plan of the European Union Neighbourhood Policy, negotiations are underway on the matter of providing technical assistance for development of the ANPP Decommissioning Plan, as well as development of a Radioactive Waste Strategy. Further progress will mostly depend on the ANPP Decommissioning Plan.

TABLE 6. STATUS OF DECOMMISSIONING PROCESS OF NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS

Reactor unit	Shutdown reason	Decommissioning strategy	Current decommissioning phase		Current fuel management phase
Armenia 1.	1989, February Other economic reasons	Safe store		Reactor core defueling	Storage in an off-site facility	ANPP CJSC

The Energy Policy of Armenia is focused on realization of the strategy programme for providing the country with the required quantity of electric energy and gas.

In 2001–2002, an Energy and Nuclear Power Planning study for Armenia was developed under the framework of the IAEA Programme on Technical Cooperation, and the details were published in July 2004 as TECDOC 1404. The document included the future energy demand forecast for Armenia and the capacities which will be needed to cover that demand. During the study, two options of the development of the energy sector of Armenia were considered:

1. The use of thermal power plants only;

2. The use of both thermal and nuclear power plants.

The second option for development of the Energy sector was preferable, taking into account the criteria of energy safety and energy independence, ecology, as well as the social point of view. On the basis of this study, the Least Cost Generation Plan and The Comprehensive National Energy Strategy and Energy Sector Improvement Action Plan were developed in 2006. Based on these two documents, The Armenian Ministry of Energy Action Programme According to the National Security Strategy was adopted by Government decree No. 1296 of 1 November 2007. This programme was envisaged to put the new nuclear power unit(s) into operation immediately after the shutdown of the existing one, to cover the lack of capacity. According to that document, taking into consideration the needs of country energy independence, preference was given to 1000 MW nuclear power units.

At present, the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of Ra, assisted by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Project for Assistance to the Energy Sector of Armenia for Energy Security and Regional Integration, is reviewing the Environmental Background Information Document with the aim of establishing a new document, namely the Armenia New Nuclear Unit Environmental Report.

The Law of the Republic of Armenia on Construction of a New NPP in the Republic of Armenia was adopted on 27 October 2009. The law serves as the legal basis for construction of a new NPP in Armenia; according to the Armenia Law “On Safe Usage of Nuclear Energy in Peaceful Purposes”, construction in the republic of a new NPP or decommissioning of the existing NPP are possible only after adoption of a relevant law.

TABLE 7. PLANNED NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

Reactor unit/project name	Owner	Type	Capacity (MW(e))	Expected construction start year	Expected commercial year
ANNP	Metsamorenergoatom	PWR	600–1000	2018	2026

The decree “On Establishment of a Closed Joint-Stock Company Aimed at Construction of a New NPP in the Republic of Armenia” was adopted by the Government of Armenia on 3 December 2009. Metsamorenergoatom CJSC was established with the involvement of RA Government and Atomstroyexport CJSC, which was delegated by Rosatom Russian State Corporation. Metsamorenergoatom CJSC is open for other investors as well.

According to the Intergovernmental Agreement between RA and RF on “Cooperation on construction new nuclear unit(s) on the territory of RA”, the Russian Federation portion of investment will be equal to the cost of the nuclear island; the rest is expected to be covered by Armenia or other investor(s). The Armenian government is currently in the negotiation process with potential investors for the project.

Investigations to develop a new 400 kV network in Armenia (new voltage level in the country), as well as its expansion to neighbouring power systems was conducted by Energy Network Design Institute of Armenia in the project “Development of the Armenian electrical grid scheme (2010, 2015, 2020)”.

Some of the principle conclusions of this study are formulated as follows:

1. To ensure the admissible voltage level and to reduce active power losses in the electrical grid, it is desirable to construct a new 400/220 kV substation, “Noravan”, with input/output of double circuit “Islamic Republic of Iran–Armenia” HVL of 400 kV.

2. It is necessary to install a reactance in the Hrazdan TPP 400 kV substation to ensure the allowable voltage levels and adjust reactive power flow.

3. Calculations of short circuit currents show that there is no need to replace any equipment in existing substations, or add any extraordinary additional equipment in a new 400 kV network.

4. Connection of a new 400 kV OHL and increasing of electricity export to neighbouring power systems will highly reduce the risk of unstable operation of the ANPP and the power system as a whole. The high voltage lines Armenia–Islamic Republic of Iran and Armenia–Georgia of 400 kV are currently under construction.

A seismic hazard assessment of the ANPP site has been performed with funds of the RA. The terms of reference for the seismic hazard assessment of the ANPP site were developed and agreed with by the IAEA. The draft report of the site seismic hazard assessment was submitted for expert review at the IAEA in August 2010. Following this, the IAEA mission reviewing the seismic hazard assessment provided a number of comments and recommendations for completion of the seismic hazard assessment.

The “Seismic Hazard Assessment for the Construction Site of a New Power Unit at the Armenian NPP — Final Report” was completed in February 2011, based on the latest IAEA guidance. The report also includes a “Volcanic Hazard Assessment of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant Site”.

The final report of IAEA experts on the final version of the seismic and volcanic hazard assessments was provided to the Armenian party in December 2011. The second IAEA mission provided comments of an editorial nature and recommended carrying out additional investigations regarding the Yerevan fault.

Metsamorenergoatom CJSC received the licence for selection of the site for the construction of the new unit.

Public hearings on the Armenia New Nuclear Unit Environmental (Environmental Impact Assessment) Report were conducted on 17 May 2011, in Armavir and on 24 May 2011 in Gyumri. Based on the comments and recommendations made during those hearings, the report was expanded and submitted to the Ministry of Nature Protection of the RA. The Ministry of Natural Protection offered the information that it does not have principle comments about the Armenia New Nuclear Unit Environmental (Environmental Impact Assessment) Report and will provide a final conclusion after the results of design activities are incorporated in the final report.

The main organizations and institutions involved in nuclear energy in Armenia are: CJSC ANPP, CJSC Armatom, CJSC Atomservice, CJSC “Nuclear and Radiation Safety Centre”, CJSC “Tekatomenergo” and CJSC Scientific Research Institute of Energy.

No information available.

In 2004, Armenia joined the International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles (INPRO), an IAEA initiative, in order to address needs in the economic, safety, non-proliferation and waste management aspects of nuclear energy and its fuel cycle with innovative technology. Armenia fulfilled the Collaborative Project (CP) entitled “Implementation Issues for the Use of Nuclear Power in Smaller Countries”. The project was supported by a number of countries. This CP provides small countries the opportunity to discover problems that could arise with the construction of new nuclear units in their countries. Outcomes from the INPRO “SMALL” CP were published as TECDOC 1778.

Armenia was invited to join the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP). On 1 October 2008, the agreement was signed, and Armenia became a member of the GNEP, which provides significant benefits to Armenia’s nuclear programme. (A change of name to the International Framework for Nuclear Energy Cooperation was adopted in June 2010.)

Armenia has bilateral cooperation, mostly concerning safety of the ANPP, with countries such as Argentina, France, Italy, Russian Federation, United Kingdom and United States of America. Armenia also participates in several international projects developed in the framework of cooperation under the aegis of the IAEA, European Commission and USAID.

Armenia maintains close cooperation with the IAEA in pursuit of nuclear power. Armenia became a member state of this organization in 1993, and IAEA experts have participated in many assistance projects since then. In April of 1993, the Government of Armenia made the decision to restart Unit 2 of the ANPP, and IAEA experts participated actively in pre-commissioning investigations and evaluation of the condition of plant equipment. Moreover, they elaborated the whole concept of Unit 2 recommissioning. Armenia is also collaborating with the IAEA in the field of nuclear safety upgrading. At present, several national programmes of the ANPP Unit 2 safety upgrade are in different phases of implementation. The IAEA is permanently assisting the ANRA, providing appropriate support and recommendations.

Since 1996, the United States Department of Energy, in the framework of the International Nuclear Safety Program, and the European Commission, within the framework of TACIS assistance programmes, have provided technical assistance in upgrading the level of ANPP operations, as well as modernization of technological equipment in the plant.

Over the years, several countries, including France, Great Britain, Czech Republic, Italy and Russian Federation (since 2008), have joined the assistance programmes and related efforts.

Armenia cooperates with Argentina within the bilateral project Creation in Armenia of a Center for training and qualification in Non-Destructive Metal Testing Techniques with the assistance of the IAEA.

There are many joint projects with the Russian Federation within the framework of the Nuclear Safety Assistance Program. In 1996, an agreement was signed between the ANPP and ROSENERGOATOM on industrial and technical-scientific cooperation. In 2000, an agreement was signed between the Governments of RA and RF on “Cooperation in the field of peaceful use of nuclear energy”.

In the framework of bilateral cooperation between Armenia and the USA in 2001, within the “Armatom” institute of RA, the International Nuclear Safety Center of Armenia was created. The Joint Statement on cooperation between International Nuclear Safety Centers of Armenia and the United States of America was signed on 7 Feb 2001.

Since 1996, the ANPP has been a member of WANO. WANO MC has commissioned two inspections relevant to ANPP operational safety.

The ANRA has cooperation agreements with the nuclear regulatory authorities of the following countries: Argentina, Russian Federation, Ukraine and United States of America. The ANRA is a member of the FORUM organization, whose members are the nuclear regulatory authorities from the countries operating VVERs. The ANRA also participates in the CONCERT group.

In 2007, the Government of Armenia made the decision for the RA to join the agreement between the Governments of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Russian Federation on the establishment of the International Uranium Enrichment Center in Angarsk.

The state authority for supervision of nuclear and radiation safety was established by Government decree No. 573 of 16 November 1993 and is known as the State Department for Supervision on Nuclear and Radiation Safety of Utilization of Nuclear Energy for the Government of RA. By the same decree, the Department Statute was approved and the authority was charged with the functions of inspections.

Government decree No. 70 of 19 February 2000 authorized the Department to also have regulating functions, and, according to that decree, it prepared a new Statute which was approved by Government decree No. 385 of 22 June 2000. The Department was given a new name, the Armenian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ANRA), in accordance with that decree. The ANRA was under direct subordination to the Armenian Government, independent from organizations responsible for development and utilization of atomic energy. According to its new Statute, the ANRA was to organize and perform state supervision and inspections over utilization of nuclear energy, as well as oversee its regulation.

On 24 May 2001, according to Government decree No. 452, the ANRA was awarded with the authorization of State regulation on protection against irradiation from ionizing radiation sources and their safety.

The status of the ANRA was changed again on 27 June 2002, according to Government decree No. 912, in order to respond to the reforming principles implemented into the Armenian System of Government Management. The ANRA was included in the Ministry of Environmental Protection of RA.

On December 26 2002, the new Statute of the ANRA was approved by Government decree No. 2183. The ANRA was renamed the Inspectorate for State Supervision on Nuclear and Radiation Safety of Utilization of Nuclear Energy under the Ministry of Environmental Protection of RA. According to the new Statute, the ANRA was authorized with the following key duties: to perform State regulation within the field of nuclear energy utilization with the main objective to secure the protection of the population, the personnel involved in the nuclear industry, and the environment.

In accordance with the Ordinance of the President of Armenia adopted on 20 May 2008, the ANRA was reorganized into the State Committee on Nuclear Safety Regulation under the Government of the RA. Now, ANRA’s task is the state regulation of atomic energy utilization (safety of nuclear facilities, the safe use of ionizing radiation sources, the safe management of radioactive waste, and the safe transport of radioactive and nuclear materials) aimed to ensure the safety of population and personnel and environmental safety, and to defend the safety interests of the RA.

The regulatory authority for nuclear safety is the ANRA. The licensee is responsible for the safety of the NPP. The licensee is obliged by the licence to:

1. Guarantee the keeping of principles, criteria and requirements on nuclear and radiation safety, as well as the conditions or acts of the temporary operation permission;

2. Inform ANRA of deviations from the conditions of the temporary operation permission, as well as the incidents and emergencies during NPP operation.

On 25 April 2001, the Science-Research Centre of Nuclear and Radiation Safety was established at the ANRA, according to Government decree No. 342, with the aim to enable the ANRA to carry out an independent expertise activity.

On the basis Government decree No. 389 of 22 August 1994, all the rules and norms applicable to nuclear power in the Russian Federation were accepted in Armenia. The ANRA is aware of the fact that some of those regulations need revision and this process is underway.

According to Government decree No. 252 of 7 April 2007 “On Abrogation of the Government Decree No. 389 of 22 August 1994 and Item 2 of the Government Decree No. 239 of 20 April 1999” the Government decrees No. 389 of 22 August 1994 “On Nuclear Power Plant Safety Norms and Rules” and No. 239 of 7 April 2007 “On the List of Normative Decisions Adopted by Council of Ministers of the Armenian Soviet Socialistic Republic and Effective Before 23 August 1990” became ineffective. Appropriate governmental bodies in Armenia are in the process of developing internal norms and standards for the nuclear sector.

The licensing process of the nuclear field is regulated by the Law on “Licensing” and the appropriate decisions of Government of RA.