YEREVAN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik – 12th July, 2022) Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan discussed with Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev the possibility of building a new nuclear power plant in the republic, the Armenian government said on Tuesday.
"The parties discussed issues of further operation of the second power unit of the Armenian NPP, the possibility of building a new nuclear power plant in Armenia, touched upon the development of nuclear energy, as well as cooperation in the field of renewable energy," the statement says.
The Armenian-Russian cooperation in the field of energy has a rich agenda, and Rosatom is the main partner of the Armenian government in the field of nuclear energy, Pashinyan noted. He highly appreciated the role of the corporation in extending the life of the second power unit of the Armenian NPP and expressed confidence that the cooperation would continue to be effective.
"Likhachev thanked for the close cooperation and noted that the Rosatom corporation was interested in further fruitful cooperation with the Armenian government," the statement says.
Armenia now has one nuclear power plant located near the town of Metsamor, 30 kilometers south of Yerevan. There are two power units based on VVER-440 earthquake-resistant reactors. The first power unit of the Armenian NPP was put into operation in December 1976, the second in January 1980. The nuclear power plant was stopped in March 1989 after the Spitak earthquake. The second power unit was recommissioned in November 1995 due to the energy crisis in the republic. With the help of Rosatom, its modernization was completed last year.
The program of the Armenian government provides for the extension of the operating life of the operating unit of the nuclear power plant until 2026, as well as the phased commissioning of new units.