ArmInfo. In the coming years, Armenia may need a large or medium-capacity nuclear power plant address a looming energy deficit, as stated by Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev in an interview with Vesti on the sidelines of the Innoprom-2026 forum.
"What is the key issue in our ongoing work with our Armenian partners? It is the next step—the further development of nuclear technology. Our perspective is as follows: currently, 30% of Armenia's electricity is nuclear-generated, but demand is growing. It is very likely that the electricity capacity deficit in Armenia will reach even 1 GW in the coming decades. We need to be prepared for this. Our response is a large or medium-capacity station, comprising one or two units, which will cover the energy deficits for decades to come," the head of Rosatom stated, as reported by TASS. He added that Armenia's nuclear expertise and its nuclear industry serves as "a hallmark of a high-quality economy and a quality industrial sector," TASS reports.
Recall, on February 9, following talks with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan, US Vice President J.D. Vance announced at a press conference that Armenia and the US had completed negotiations on the "123" agreement in civil nuclear energy, with investments of approximately $9 billion expected. He clarified that the initial investment would be $5 billion, with a further $4 billion expected in the second phase.
Recall, the possibility of constructing several small modular nuclear reactors with a capacity of 50-60 MW was previously discussed in Armenia. Moreover, the possibility of constructing them in several regions of the country was even considered. However, one of the key challenges in this area is the lack of experience in operating these reactors among Armenian nuclear scientists. Earlier, Gera Sevikyan, Advisor to the Director General of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant, told ArmInfo that a fundamental decision had been made to construct a new unit in the country using the Russian TOI reactor with a capacity of 1200 MW. However, as the RA Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, Gnel Sanosyan, later noted, constructing a unit of such capacity is fraught with problems, since the capacity of Armenia's entire energy system remains the same: 1,200 MW. Later, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that the country had made a fundamental decision to construct a modular nuclear reactor. Moreover, according to Armenian authorities, the country of manufacture for the modular nuclear power plant will be determined in 2026-2027.
