Armenia discusses construction of small modular reactor with several countries, including Russia - Pashinyan

YEREVAN. Oct 1 (Interfax) - Armenia has decided to build a small modular reactor, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said.

"We have made a strategic decision that our next nuclear reactor will be a small modular reactor," Pashinyan said at a government hour session in parliament on Wednesday.

Armenia is discussing a project to build a new reactor with the United States, Russia, China, South Korea, and France, he said.

"There is no political component to this issue. We should make a choice based on commercial and economic feasibility. Substantive discussions are underway, and our specialists visit or will visit these countries. And in the next year or two, we should make a decision and sign the relevant agreement," Pashinyan said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pashinyan discussed the operation of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant on September 26. Putin said that Rosatom "is currently working to extend the service life of this nuclear power plant."

For his part, Pashinyan said that Armenia is closely cooperating with Russia, in particular, on extending the service life of the Armenian NPP until 2036. "We are now working and looking for small modular NPP designs that will be convenient for Armenia, and we are certainly engaged in a very active dialogue on this issue with the Russian Federation," he said.

The Armenian NPP is one of the country's main sources of electricity. The plant operates a single power unit with a first-generation VVER-440 reactor, and its fuel is supplied by TVEL, a Rosatom company.