Armenia plans to select model of new nuclear power plant by yearend, says minister

Armenia is expected to select the model of a new nuclear power plant by yearend 2025, Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures Davit Khudatyan has said.

In an interview for the Armenpress Podcast series, Khudatyan spoke about various government programs, including the plans to build a new nuclear power plant as a replacement for the currently-active Metsamor plant, as well as the reforms in the aviation sector aimed at removing the EU’s ban on the country’s airlines.

The offers made by various countries for building a new nuclear power plant are under discussion, he said.

There is no final decision yet. “We will choose the kind of model that would be economically advantageous for Armenia, and which will be capable of functioning in conditions of our energy system,” Khudatyan said.

The location of the would-be plant is also under discussion. He said authorities believe the new plant shall be built in the location of the Metsamor nuclear power plant. The current location has many other infrastructures that could be used in case of building the new station there.

Khudatyan did not mention any timeframes for launching the construction of the new plant.

“We are doing everything to finalize the selection of the model by the end of this year. After that, our partners will make a proposal about the required duration of construction. Our task is the following: to maintain the [Metsamor] Nuclear Power Plant reactors’ work during that whole period to avoid any electric energy-related issues in Armenia, and we are successfully doing it now.”

At the same time, large-scale work is underway to extend the lifecycle of Metsamor in 2026 by another 10 years.

Asked when Armenian airlines will be removed from the EU blacklist, the minister said Armenian authorities have carried out huge work to address the concerns of the EU and eliminate the flaws. In the end of 2024, Armenia officially notified the EU that the flaws have been completely eliminated. “We hope that our partners will visit in summer 2025 and examine the course of eliminating the flaws on the ground. And we hope that we will be able to overcome the so-called blacklist, which is truly an obstacle for aviation, as soon as possible.”

Airlines registered in Armenia have been banned from EU airspace since June 2020 after the European Commission assessed the country’s “safety oversight capabilities.” All 41 deficiencies identified during an audit have been addressed and Armenia awaits an update from the EU on the matter.