YEREVAN (Noyan Tapan)Speaking before Armenia’s National Assembly–Minister of Energy Gagik Martirossian said that the first turbogenerator of the Medzamor Nuclear Power Plant which was shut down early Tuesday was reactivated the following morning. The second turbogenerator was put into operation at 9:15 a.m. that morning–and the plant is currently working at a 280 megawatt capacity.
Martirossian reported that the plant was closed due to the fall of frequency which caused the system to automatically shut down. A commission was set up to find the problem and present its findings to the ministry.
Martirossian reported that of the $400 million needed for reconstruction of the plant–a total of $30 million has been spent thus far. However–he said–the primary tasks have been solved." He confirmed that there were no power outages caused by the shut down–and cuts in the power supply occur only due as a result of unpaid debts and for technical reasons.
Martirossian noted that a loan program by the World Bank and Japan worth $90 million will be presented in the near future. The 30-year loan aims at restoring panels and energy transmitting networks at Medzamor.