ArmInfo. According to estimates by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to increase energy independence, Armenia needs a new nuclear power plant with a capacity of 600 MW. Abgar Budaghyan, head of USAID Armenia's energy security project, expressed such an opinion on April 26 during public discussions on "Prospects of diversification of the energy sector in Armenia".
"It would be good if this new nuclear power plant consisted of several small units, which would reduce risks, both from a safety point of view and during operation," the specialist said. In his opinion, if the new power unit is built by 2036, since the operating life of the existing second power unit after the implementation of the repeated extension program will expire in 2036, then, according to Budaghyan, in 2040-2050, Armenia will be able to independently meet its energy demand through NPP and renewable energy sources.
He noted that at the moment the capacity of the country's entire energy system is 1.3 thousand MW. "We don't need any more of this. Even if we fast forward to 2036, in conditions of good economic growth, demand will not exceed 1.7 thousand MW," a USAID representative said.
According to Budagyan, there is no need to build a more powerful nuclear power plant.He emphasized that it is necessary to understand where the generated electricity will be spent, and whether the state will be able to use it effectively. "In other words, from the economic point of view, the entire burden of investment will remain on the shoulders of the Armenian economy. It should be taken into account that nuclear energy is not a cheap resource - 1 kW/h costs 10 American cents. Today, a kilowatt per hour is 16 drams excluding VAT," he emphasized.
Budaghyan noted that Armenia can develop solar energy and export it to Georgia and Europe, since it is a cheap resource. The expert noted that thanks to the government's policy, the country's solar energy capacity is 480 MW. "This is a real achievement for Armenia," he said.
According to the RA Statistics Committee, electricity generation in Armenia amounted to 1,648.9 million kWh in January-February 2024, which is 4.2% lower than the year-ago figure. In particular, in January- February this year, hydroelectric power plants increased the volume of electricity produced by 12.6% per annum - to 192 million kWh, nuclear power plants - by 0.6% to 625.7 million kWh, and solar stations - by 4.4% to 97.4 million kW .h.
At the same time, thermal power plants reduced electricity production by 12.1% per annum - to 733.4 million kWh. Electricity generation from wind stations also decreased - by 34.9% per annum to 0.4 million kWh.
