Abgar Budaghyan: In 2040-2050, Armenia will be able to independently  meet its energy demand through NPP and renewable energy sources

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.