Safe operation of Armenia’s nuclear power plant is ‘strategic priority’: Pashinyan

ISTANBUL

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan highlighted the safe operation of his country’s sole nuclear power plant as a “strategic priority” for his government in an address Thursday at a forum in Moscow.

“The safe operation of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (ANPP) is a strategic priority for the government of Armenia and plays a central role in ensuring our energy security, fulfilling our Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement, and supporting national economic growth,” Pashinyan said at the World Atomic Week international forum.

He said his government adopted a policy of maintaining the facility as a critical component of Armenia’s electricity balance and is making every effort to maintain the highest safety standards in its operation.

Pashinyan noted that the plant generates approximately 30% of all electricity in Armenia, further highlighting the large-scale modernization carried out at the plant in recent years, which he said enabled the country to extend its lifespan until 2026, as well as Yerevan’s decision to further extend the plant’s lifespan to 2036.

He also highlighted this extension to be the result of a “fruitful and trusting” partnership between Armenia, Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom and other international partners.

“This extension will lay a solid foundation for a smooth transition to a new power unit upon the completion of the extended service life of the ANPP, which is our ultimate goal,” Pashinyan said

He said Armenia, in this context, intends to further develop close cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and other partner countries to determine the optimal solution for replacing the power unit currently operating while taking matters such as economic efficiency and safety into consideration.

“The new energy facilities being commissioned will become a significant factor in regional development,” he added.

The ANPP was commissioned in 1976 and is located about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) west of the Armenian capital, as well as approximately 16 kilometers (10 miles) off Türkiye's eastern border with Armenia.

The plant currently houses one operational power unit, while another was shut down following a 6.8-magnitude quake in the country in 1988, which killed at least 25,000 people and left hundreds of thousands homeless.