The government of Armenia plans to approve a draft agreement between the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant and the Rusatom Service company on the implementation of work to extend the operation period of the plant until 2036, Report informs referring to Armenian media.

The draft agreement, estimated at $65 million, was included in the government agenda on December 14.

The project is planned to be financed within a budget loan allocated by the nuclear power plant.

The current second power unit of the Armenian nuclear power plant, launched in 1980, was designed for 30 years of operation, that is, theoretically until 2010. But given that the plant stood for six years (in 1989-1995), a project was drawn up (and agreed with the IAEA) to extend the service life of the power plant until 2016. In 2015, a decision was made to overhaul the nuclear power plant, taking into account Rosatom’s experience in extending the operation of reactors of similar design (VVER).