International negotiations underway to replace Metsamor with modular nuclear plant

A lawmaker has reiterated that Armenia’s Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant is expected to remain operational until 2036, while the country is negotiating with several international partners over the construction of a new plant to replace it.

“The nuclear power plant has an operational lifespan. That period is determined neither by the Armenian government nor by the Azerbaijani government, nor by any government in the world, because it is the maximum permissible period of physical operation of the nuclear power plant. That period is 2036,” Civil Contract MP Arman Yeghoyan said at a press briefing when asked to comment on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s recent statement that Armenia’s nuclear power plant will have to be shut down “sooner or later.”

“Aliyev did not make this discovery. The period has already been established by documents: 2036 is the maximum operating period of our nuclear power plant. We have already announced that we are considering building a new nuclear power plant and are negotiating with a number of international partners,” Yeghoyan said.

The lawmaker added that a provision concerning the nuclear power plant is also included in the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement, signed in 2017.

“It is not that the agreement determined that this period exists; rather, because this period exists, it was reflected in the agreement. It was also noted that the nuclear power plant should be replaced with an equivalent capacity,” Yeghoyan said.

On August 11, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev announced plans to prepare a project for the construction of electricity transmission lines through Armenian territory as part of the TRIPP project. In that context, Aliyev said that “this will also be beneficial for Armenia, since Armenia’s energy resources are mainly supplied by the nuclear power plant, and it will sooner or later be shut down, meaning the country will need alternative resources to avoid facing an energy crisis.”

Armenia is working to extend the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant’s operation until 2036 while pursuing plans for a new modular plant. It is negotiating with five countries—the United States, France, China, Russia, and South Korea—over its construction.