Construction of new nuclear power station discussed in Armenia 

ArmInfo. A meeting chaired by RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was held to discuss strategic development directions for Armenia's energy sector, the RA government press service reported.

According to the source, the meeting focused on proposals for the  construction of a new nuclear power unit, their technical and  financial aspects, and safe operation.

Meeting participants presented options for potential cooperation with  various partners and international organizations, covering financing  models, technological solutions, and implementation timelines.

The Prime Minister emphasized the importance of continuing work on  the presented areas, taking into account the proposals and comments.  

Active discussions are underway in Armenia regarding the capacity and  technology of the new unit.  A closed joint-stock company,  "Construction of a New Nuclear Power Unit," has been established to  manage the construction project. According to the Armenian  government's program, the peaceful development of nuclear energy is  one of the keys to the sustainable development of Armenia's energy  sector, as envisioned in the domestic energy development strategy  until 2040. Specifically, it is planned to replace the capacity of  the currently operating second power unit of the Armenian Nuclear  Power Plant at the site of the existing plant. The Armenian  government has not ruled out the construction of a small modular  reactor or reactors, if economically feasible. The legal form of the  new organization and personnel selection must comply with IAEA  standards, and funding must be provided from the Armenian state  budget. Overall management of the company must be carried out by an  authorized body, in this case the Ministry of Territorial  Administration and Infrastructure of the Republic of Armenia. The  aforementioned organization must conduct a comparative study of all  proposed technologies and feasibility studies, based on which it will  submit a professional proposal for the selection of the technology.  Once the proposal is approved by the RA government, the company will  be required to negotiate and prepare documents related to the  construction, financing, ownership, and operation of a new nuclear  power unit or units, following the adoption of the law on the  construction of a new nuclear power unit. The company will be  responsible for managing, organizing, and bearing responsibility for  the construction of the new nuclear power unit, i.e., acting as the  project executor. Depending on the stages of the aforementioned work,  the CJSC must be staffed with the appropriate personnel and  subsequently become the operator upon completion of the new unit.  During the preparatory phase in 2024, approximately 200 million drams  were allocated for the establishment and operation of the company,  and 800 million drams in subsequent years. Taking into account the  IAEA recommendations, the implementation of such a project requires a  staff of 50- 60 highly qualified specialists from various fields  (electric power, nuclear physics, environmental protection,  education, urban planning, etc.).

The Armenian authorities prefer to work with a reference unit to  eliminate all possible risks. In this regard, it should be noted that  small modular reactor designs are only on paper. They are either in  the design or licensing phase. Russia, meanwhile, is proposing its  own design for a new power unit with a capacity of 1,000-1,200 MW,  which has already been tested in many countries. However, the problem  here is that the capacity of a Russian-designed unit may not fit into  the country's power grid, whose installed capacity remains the same:  1,000 MW.