On Tuesday, July 23, a meeting took place in Yerevan that could significantly impact the development of nuclear energy in Armenia.
Armen Grigoryan, Secretary of the Security Council of the Republic of Armenia, held negotiations with a delegation from the French company Framatome, one of the world's largest producers of equipment for nuclear power plants.
According to the press service of the Security Council, Grigoryan emphasized the importance of French interest in the development of nuclear energy in Armenia. During the meeting, the parties discussed a number of issues of mutual interest.
Founded in 1958, Framatome is a leading international company in the field of nuclear energy. Over its more than 60-year history, the company has accumulated extensive experience in the design, construction, and maintenance of nuclear steam supply systems for various types of reactors.
Earlier, BMG reported that in June 2023, an interdepartmental working group was established in Armenia for the construction of a new nuclear power unit. The operational life of the existing Metsamor NPP has been extended until 2036. In recent years, technical modernization work has been carried out at the plant to extend its operational life.
The main contractor involved in the maintenance of the NPP is "Rosatom." The nuclear fuel for the NPP, uranium, is also imported from Russia. Currently, Armenia is discussing the option of constructing a new NPP using Western modular technologies instead of Russian ones.
The Armenian NPP is the only nuclear power plant in the region, built during the Soviet era near the city of Metsamor. It consists of two power units with VVER-440 reactors. The installed thermal capacity of one unit is 1375 MW, and the electrical capacity is 440 MW.
