Minister: progress made on new nuclear plant project

PanARMENIAN.Net - Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Davit Khudatyan told reporters that progress has been made on the construction of a new nuclear power plant.

He added that the government is still reviewing potential proposals for the project, http://Aysor.am reports.

According to the minister, it is too early to disclose the list of countries whose proposals are under consideration, as no final decision has been made.

"The government has established a closed joint-stock company to develop a proposal for a new nuclear power plant model. It will later oversee the technical requirements and supervision before handing it over to operators. The staffing structure will soon be approved, and we are simultaneously working on extending the lifespan of the existing plant. We have a set of mandatory actions to follow, and I am not concerned about falling behind schedule," Khudatyan stated.

He also noted that once the plant model is finalized, an official announcement will be made.

The state company managing the nuclear project will receive funding earlier than initially planned. This decision was approved during a government session.

On August 1, 2024, the Armenian government decided to establish the "New Nuclear Energy Unit Construction" CJSC, responsible for overseeing the construction of the nuclear energy unit(s).

Initially, the state budget allocated 200 million drams for the company’s charter capital, scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2025. However, due to the project’s significance and urgency, the government decided to move the funding to the first quarter for earlier disbursement.

The Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure announced that an American company was conducting a feasibility study on the construction of a small modular nuclear power plant. On February 8, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that the government was considering a modular nuclear plant option.