On July 23, a delegation led by the French Ambassador to Armenia, Olivier Decottignies, visited the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). The delegation included specialists from the French company Framatome.
During the meeting with the NPP management, important issues of mutual interest were discussed. The areas of the NPP's activities where Armenian-French cooperation is possible were reviewed, and joint projects successfully implemented using French technologies were highlighted.
Particular attention was paid to the possibility of France's participation in the construction of a new power unit in Armenia. The NPP management expressed readiness to cooperate with the French side and to explore proposals for reactor technologies.
The parties presented their proposals and expressed hope for the early start of effective and mutually beneficial cooperation in the discussed areas, according to the NPP's statement.
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.
