Rosatom Formally Proposes Building New Nuclear Power Plant in Armenia Through International Cooperation

YEREVAN — Rosatom has formally proposed that Armenia build a new 1,000-megawatt nuclear power plant through an international cooperation framework.

Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Russia’s state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom, made the announcement during a press conference at Zvartnots International Airport in Yerevan.

According to Likhachev, the Armenian government is expected to make a final decision in the coming months regarding the technical specifications of the new nuclear power plant and the selection of a construction partner.

He said Rosatom has submitted an official proposal to the Armenian side for the construction of a 1,000-megawatt VVER-1000 reactor unit. The Russian side is prepared to implement the project through an integrated international cooperation framework, involving manufacturers from other countries, including France, South Korea and China, should Yerevan wish to pursue such an arrangement.

With Armenia’s electricity consumption growing by approximately 4 percent annually, experts forecast that by 2036 the country will require new baseload generating capacity of this scale to meet the anticipated energy shortfall.