Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Thursday that the country’s planned modular nuclear power plant may not meet his country’s growing energy needs, state news agency Armenpress reported.
The premier told a press briefing that discussions continue within the government on the construction of a new nuclear power plant, and the country had an electricity surplus over a year ago.
But “one year later, Armenia has become a country with an electricity deficit. The fact that two AI factories have been established is not the issue. The issue is that the investment programs that have already been approved are of such a scale that Armenia now has an electricity deficit,” he said.
He said it has become necessary for Armenia to consider the “possibility of importing electricity and generating electricity from our sources,” recalling that previously he said they need “nothing more” than a modular nuclear power plant, which is small and can be rapidly deployed compared to a nuclear power plant.
“That has been our position. But now, due to this change, we have to understand that, most likely, a modular plant will not be enough for us,” Pashinyan added.
Armenia currently has one nuclear power plant, the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (ANPP), which was commissioned in 1976.
The ANPP, which is also the South Caucasus region’s sole nuclear power plant, is about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) west of the capital and around 16 kilometers (10 miles) from border with Türkiye. The plant currently has a single operational power unit.
Another was shut down following a 6.8 magnitude earthquake in 1988 that killed at least 25,000 people and left hundreds of thousands homeless.
In recent years, Yerevan has been looking into the possibility of building a modular nuclear power plant to replace the ANPP, while also working to extend the already operational plant’s life cycle.
Last month, Pashinyan said negotiations were continuing with several countries, including the US and Russia, for a new nuclear power plant.
Source: AA