“The Armenian regulatory authority (ANRA) is confronted with some major challenges,” ENSI’s Director General Hans Wanner comments. “It is our duty to support the authority in its efforts to implement international safety standards in Armenia’s Mezamor nuclear power plant.” Two of the key recommendations issued by the mission of the IAEA’s Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) were also addressed to Armenia’s government: the principal cause of concern for the experts is the inadequacy of the available resources – not only for the safe operation of Armenia’s single nuclear power plant, but also for comprehensive monitoring of the plant by the Armenian regulatory authority.
For some years now, Armenia has demonstrated great readiness to undergo independent assessment by international review missions. Accordingly, the IRRS team assessed this open-minded attitude as exemplary. “However, the problem lies in implementation – as it always has done. Armenia simply lacks the resources to implement all the international requirements within the required periods.” In particular, the international community expects the Armenian regulatory authority to ensure that the knowledge gained from Fukushima is now implemented speedily in the Mezamor power plant.
Team leader Wanner was able to emphasise the most important results of the IRRS mission in person when he visited Hovik Abrahamyan, Prime Minister of Armenia: “My impression was that the Prime Minister had a good understanding of our expectations of Armenia.” In particular, the PM promised to make a personal effort to ensure speedy progress with the licensing process for the extension of the operating licence for the Mezamor nuclear power plant.
Although the operating licence expires in September 2016, the regulatory authority has not yet received an application for an extension from the licensee. Together with the application, the operating company must submit comprehensive documentation to the regulatory authority regarding the condition of the facility and the backfits required for continued operation of the nuclear power plant. The review of these documents by the regulatory authority is a very complex process that – according to experience – requires more than a year.
Regulatory authority could come under pressure
“It is becoming apparent that the licensing process cannot be completed on time,” Hans Wanner explained during the media conference in Yerevan, the Armenian capital, at the conclusion of the IRRS mission. “We therefore fear that the regulatory authority will come under political pressure if it transpires that the plant has to be taken out of service due to the lack of a valid licence.”
The IRRS mission’s report will be finalised in the coming weeks at the IAEA in Vienna, and will then be published by the Armenian authorities.