Rosatom Pitches 1,000-MW Nuclear Unit to Armenia in Bid Race
Alexey Likhachev, Rosatom's director general, spoke after meeting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan in the Armenian capital. He said the talks built on agreements Pashinyan reached earlier with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.
Likhachev described the discussions as “deep in terms of expertise and broad in scope,” and said nuclear energy has a future in Armenia “for decades to come,” according to Russian media.
“The task now before us is to formulate the most competitive proposal in the coming months so that Armenia can select a partner and vendor for the construction of a new unit,” Likhachev said, according to a Russian state news agency.
“We have submitted a concrete proposal to the Armenian government for a 1,000-megawatt unit based on our best-in-class VVER-1000 design,” he added.
Armenia is also weighing an extension of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant's service life to 2046, Likhachev said. Rosatom stands ready to do the work if Yerevan moves ahead, he said.
“However, beyond technical feasibility, we must also consider economic viability,” he said, noting that keeping the plant running longer would demand substantial investment.
Commissioned in 1976, the plant sits about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) west of Yerevan and roughly 16 kilometers (10 miles) from Türkiye's eastern border with Armenia. Only one of its power units is operating today. A second was shut down after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake in 1988 that killed at least 25,000 people and left hundreds of thousands homeless.
In a statement after Tuesday's talks, Rosatom said the two sides also addressed extending the plant's operating license to 2036, along with prospects for new nuclear generating capacity in Armenia.
Pashinyan's office said Yerevan is reviewing proposals from international partners to build a new nuclear unit and expects to reach a decision “in the near future.”
“Nikol Pashinyan emphasized that the final decision would be based exclusively on economic considerations, taking into account price, quality, safety, timelines, and guarantees,” the statement said.
The office added that Likhachev presented proposals for a new nuclear power plant, as well as small- and medium-capacity units and possible mechanisms for implementing them.
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