Over the past seven years, we have constructed two nuclear power  plants: Pashinyan

ArmInfo.  "In the last seven years, we have built two nuclear power plants, without any fuss or fanfare. We haven't open them, haven't cut the ribbon, haven't  given a speech, haven't even recorded it. We have made decisions in  this hall and built two nuclear power plants.  And this is a great  achievement that is not talked about," Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan  stated at a Cabinet meeting on September 18, after Minister of  Territorial Administration and Infrastructure (MTAI) David Khudatyan  presented data on the share of solar power generation in Armenia.

Khudatyan noted that according to the Energy Strategy, Armenia plans  to increase its solar power capacity to 1,000 MW by 2030. However,   the total capacity of installed solar power plants now is 850 MW.   "That's good. But I know this creates problems for the energy  system," the Prime Minister responded. It turns out that during the  day, when nuclear power plants, hydroelectric power plants, and  thermal power plants, in addition to solar power plants, are  operating, Armenia generates more than it consumes. The problem is  that nuclear power plants, hydroelectric power plants, and thermal  power plants cannot be constantly turned on and off, which  complicates the management of the entire system. In the absence of  storage systems and export options, the issue is even more pressing.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister noted, electricity is a commodity for  which demand is growing globally, and Armenia must find ways to  export the electricity it produces. Not to mention that the country's  abundant electricity supply should be of interest to investors,  Pashinyan added.  According to him, artificial intelligence,  cryptocurrencies, and other technologies "consume enormous amounts of  electricity, beyond the norm, beyond what is reasonable, and, given  this factor, such investments should be attracted." "We mustn't stop  or slow down the development of solar energy. We must allow it to  develop, and we must catch up with it with our technologies and  solutions," Pashinyan said, emphasizing that this is "a matter of  national security and state independence." "We must consistently  follow this path. I'm not saying this is the future; the future is  already here. The more solar power plants and renewable energy  sources we have, the more we enter the future today," Pashinyan said.

He noted that the authorities must be consistent on this issue and  suggested that Khudatyan organize discussions in the near future.   The head of the Ministry of Transport Infrastructure (MTAI) stated  that the agency is considering increasing consumption and expanding  export opportunities, including to Georgia and Iran.  "Unfortunately,  sometimes, in addition to the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant, we are  forced to remove all our capacity from the power grid at certain  times of the day when solar power plants produce more," the minister  stated. "You say 'unfortunately' because you're facing difficulties,  but I say 'fortunately' because we're able to fully meet our domestic  needs with electricity generated entirely by ourselves. Yuu  understand what strategic objective we've achieved." Nikol Pashinyan  countered, calling for ways to effectively manage the sector.