Rosatom has submitted a concrete proposal to the Armenian government to build a new nuclear power unit with capacity of at least 1 GW. The announcement was made by Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev, according to Sputnik Armenia.
Likhachev said discussions with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan covered both the construction of a new unit and the extension of the operating life of the existing nuclear power unit. He said Nikol Pashinyan indicated that Armenia would define the technical specifications in the coming months and select partners for the new plant.
According to Rosatom, a unit of at least 1,000 MW is appropriate for Armenia based on projected demand and shortages in the country’s energy system through 2040. Likhachev added that over a longer horizon the issue of a second unit could also arise, but stressed that this is a sovereign decision for the Armenian government.
He said the proposal submitted to Yerevan is for a “1,000-megawatt” unit based on the VVER-1000 design. Likhachev said these are the reactors Rosatom is developing domestically and has built or continues to build in India and Iran. In his view, the design offers strong economic efficiency, relatively low electricity costs and all necessary Generation III+ safety systems.
Likhachev also said Rosatom is ready to implement the project with international suppliers, with which it continues active cooperation despite external pressure. He noted that international projects in Egypt, Türkiye, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan already incorporate the best solutions available in global practice in coordination with the national customer.
