Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant
F1
Active reactors ( gross ):
Decommissioned Reactors ( gross ):
The nuclear power plant Mezamor ( ատոմակայան Armenian Մեծամոր, also Medzamor English transcription: Metsamor ), during the Cold War, also known as nuclear power plant Oktemberyan, is the only nuclear power plant in Armenia and the Caucasus at all. It is named after the nearby town of Mezamor ( Մեծամոր ) and is located 30 kilometers west of the capital Yerevan.
History
The nuclear power plant consists of two pressurized water reactors of the Soviet type WWER-440/270 ( a version of the WWER-440/230 ). The 270 version has an additional seismic improvements. Block 1 was first critically on 15 December 1976 the Unit 2 was completed on 5 January 1980. The first network synchronization of the first block in 1976, Unit 2 in 1980. In December 1976, the first block went for the first time in its ratings, the second block in November 1977.
The reason for the construction was the poverty of fossil fuels of the Armenian SSR. Owned by the Armenian Ministry of Energy. The nuclear power plant is operated by the corporation Armenian nuclear power plant.
1989 had to be shut down for the time being after an earthquake, both reactors. This happened to political pressure from the United States, because the reactors have the earthquake relatively unscathed. Mezamor -2 in 1996 after some improvement measures carried out with Russian help, put back into operation, Mezamor -1, however, was finally shut down.
Security
Mezamor is considered a quite unsafe nuclear power plant, as it is not only technically outdated, but is also in a highly seismic region. One of the few advantages over other light water reactor types is the lockable reactor cooling circuit: Should a leak occur, it can be isolated with valves, which is not possible with other types of reactors due to the higher hydrodynamic forces and the relatively smaller performance water inventory (they are rely solely on the emergency cooling ). The plant produces about 40% of the electric current generated in Armenia and allows the state to 150 megawatts to Georgia to export. Because of the great economic importance of the NPP should therefore remain in operation until 2016. According to the Armenian government requirement for a shutdown Mezamors is the construction of a new reactor with a capacity of at least 1,000 MW, will be allocated to the cost of four billion U.S. dollars.
Incidents
On October 15, 1982, there was a short circuit in a boron - pump of Block 1 The electrical protection of the pump did not work, so the cable and the motor overheated. This broke in several places on the cable of a fire. The smoke came up in the control room of the block. The fire spread to four parallel cables lying and spread further. Due to the destruction of several cables of the control, there was a variety of disorders. The fire alarm in the cable shafts struck, but failed the delete function. The fire destroyed the power lines of the diesel generators and the power cable to the external power supply. The fire caused a total failure of the power plant. There were improvised power lines down in order to remove decay heat from the reactor may. The smoke- filled control room was " served " by the operators (gas masks were missing) individually rushed into it, short manipulations it and ran out again rushed. The engine house burned down completely. After the fire, a manual shut-off system was installed in the boron - pumps and the cable received a refractory shell. Also, the fire protection system has been improved. In addition, inspections of the cables were performed more frequently.
Data of the reactor units
The nuclear power plant Mezamor has a total of two blocks: