Narek Karapetyan rules out possibility of energy crisis in Armenia

Narek Karapetyan, head of the “Strong Armenia” opposition parliamentary faction, has rejected Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s claim that Armenia could face an energy crisis following the closure of its nuclear power plant.

Armenia plans to replace its Metsamor nuclear power plant with a modular one when the current plant’s operational lifecycle ends in 2036.

Aliyev, in an interview about the TRIPP project, claimed that the planned electricity transmission line through Armenian territory to Nakhchivan could become an additional source of energy for Armenia.

Commenting on Aliyev’s statement, Narek Karapetyan stressed that Armenia has several options for building a new nuclear power plant.

Karapetyan said that more than one partner has submitted relevant proposals.

“There are proposals that would allow us to build a new nuclear power plant, as a result of which the country would have access to cheap electricity. We have two or three good options, so I think neighboring countries have nothing to worry about. Our country certainly has the ability to build a new nuclear power plant. More than one partner is offering terms under which it could be built,” Karapetyan said.

According to him, Armenia has a surplus of electricity during daytime hours, partly due to the development of solar energy.

“In terms of solar energy, Armenia is among the more developed countries. Overall, investment in Armenia’s energy sector has been very high. I think you know which company has been responsible for making these investments so substantial. The Tashir Group of Companies has been actively involved in one of the strongest and most competitive sectors of the energy industry. I worked there before entering the National Assembly,” he noted.

Karapetyan added that Armenia could export electricity generated from solar energy during the daytime, but the issue that arises at night requires additional thermal generation capacity.

“Thermal power plants cannot be connected to the grid quickly; they need several hours. Therefore, we cannot simply have a thermal power plant switch on immediately at, say, 6 p.m. Before entering the National Assembly, I was involved in a project to establish a special thermal power plant that would operate during nighttime hours. Electricity generated from solar energy would be exported during the day, while at night, a thermal power plant running on gas imported from Iran would be brought online,” Karapetyan said.