ENERGY
YEREVAN, May 25. /ARKA/. Armenia is negotiating construction of new nuclear power plant with the United States, Russia, as well as with other countries, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Wednesday.
"It is no secret that our plans include issues related to the development of nuclear potential. You know that our nuclear power plant has a lifespan. And now we are holding very active talks with several partners on construction of a new nuclear power plant," Pashinyan said during a government Q&A session in parliament.
Pashinyan said an Armenian delegation will soon visit the U.S. to find out about the capabilities of modular nuclear reactors.
"American technologies will give an opportunity to construct modules with a capacity of up to 300 MW, gradually building up the existing capacities," the Prime Minister said.
Maria Longi, coordinator of U.S. Assistance to Europe and Eurasia, said that the U.S. was assessing the feasibility of building small modular nuclear reactors in Armenia.
"In a number of countries, including Armenia, we are assessing the feasibility of small modular nuclear reactors - built with U.S. technology - that could facilitate greater energy independence from both Russia and China," Longi said during the hearings at the House Foreign Affairs Committee of the U.S. Congress, according to Tass news agency.
The Armenian NPP, the only one in the South Caucasus region, is located near the town of Metsamor, about 30 km west of Yerevan. The plant accounts for about 40% of the total electricity generation. Its service life has been prolonged until 2026, and work on repeated prolongation for another 10 years is in progress.
Armenian government wants to have a new nuclear power plant with a capacity of 1000-1,200 MW to be built in 8-10 years. In 2022, the Armenian government and Rusatom Overseas (a unit of Russian state atomic corporation) signed a MOU to look into construction of a new nuclear power unit in Armenia --0-
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