YEREVAN, OCTOBER 20, ARMENPRESS. There is no talk on the closure of the nuclear power plant in the new agreement to be signed between Armenia and the European Union soon, minister of energy infrastructures and natural resources Ashot Manukyan told reporters on October 20, reports Armenpress. “There is a talk on non-operation of the current nuclear power plant in the context that Armenia’s energy security supposes opportunity for development of nuclear energy with peaceful conditions”, the minister said.

Commenting on the government’s stance on this issue, the minister said it is clear: “We have repeatedly stated and continue stating that the resource of the current nuclear power plant is not endless. It will work as much as it has the resource and that resource will be enough for secure and reliable operation of the power plant. After that it will stop operating and new nuclear power plant will be constructed instead. This is obvious, this is the government’s stance since the development of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is among the priorities of our government”, Ashot Manukyan said.

The minister said the construction of new nuclear power plant is not problematic for Armenia. He expressed confidence that Armenia must construct a new nuclear power plant, adding that it’s another thing with which technologies it will be constructed. “We will give the answers to these two questions within the upcoming two years. In the upcoming two years we will have the assessment scientifically explained and approved by our partners of MAGATE on how much longer we can operate the current nuclear power plant. Within two years we will have the results of testing of small modular reactors and will understand what new technologies there are in the world through which we can construct the new nuclear power plant”, the minister said.