Russia Presents Proposal to Armenia for Construction of a New Nuclear Power Plant

MOSCOW — The Russian Federation has proposed to Armenia the construction of a nuclear power plant with one or two units.

Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev told the Vesti news agency about the proposal.

He emphasized that nuclear energy currently accounts for 30 percent of Armenia’s electricity production. However, demand is growing, and that could lead to a shortage of electricity capacity in the coming decades.

“We must be prepared for that. Our response is to have a large- or medium-capacity plant, with one or two units, that will meet the country’s future energy needs for decades. Of course, we are deeply convinced that the very presence of professional expertise in nuclear energy is a sign of a strong economy and industry,” Likhachev said.

He recalled that after the latest phase of upgrades at the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant, it became possible to increase the plant’s capacity by about 10 percent.

At present, work is underway to extend the operating life of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant by another 10 years. After that, Armenia plans to build a new nuclear power plant. The Armenian government has decided that the new plant should be modular, and Yerevan is holding talks on its construction with five countries: France, the United States, Russia, China and South Korea.