Rosatom deputy general director discusses in Yerevan construction of new NPP unit in Armenia

YEREVAN. Nov 11 (Interfax) - Armenian Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Minister Gnel Sanosyan and Rosatom Deputy General Director for Science and Strategy Yury Olenin discussed in Yerevan issues relating to the construction of a new nuclear power plant unit in Armenia, the Armenian ministry press service said.

"Sanosyan discussed with the delegation led by Olenin some issues relating to the construction of a new nuclear power unit," the press release said.

According to earlier reports, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi and Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan discussed project work to build a new nuclear power unit in the country in Yerevan last month.

In summer 2022, specialists from Armenia and Russia began talks on the project of a future new nuclear power unit on the territory of the country. In particular, a standard VVER power unit with capacity of 1-1.3 gigawatt is being considered.

In October 2021, the Armenian territorial administration and infrastructure minister said Armenian planned to start building a new nuclear power plant in 2026-2027. He said Armenia planned to start the construction of a nuclear power plant after the current plant stopped operations in 2036.

The Armenian Nuclear Power Plant is currently one of the main sources of electrical power in the country. The plant has one working power unit (with a first-generation VVER-440 reactor). Fuel for it is supplied by TVEL.