Rosatom’s new power unit project in Armenia: low electricity cost and Generation III+ safety

Rosatom has submitted a proposal to the Armenian government to build a new nuclear power unit of about 1 GW based on the VVER-1000 design.

Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev met with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan. They discussed extending the operation of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant and prospects for building new nuclear capacity in the country.

A key topic was the second lifetime extension of the plant’s operating unit to 2036. The first stage of the project has been completed, and the plant has received a permit for further operation. According to Likhachev, most of the measures planned for the period up to 2031 have already been carried out.

“Further work will continue with 2036 in mind. Neither I nor our specialists have any doubt that the plant will be extended to 2036. Of course, the final say rests with the operating organisation, the plant itself, the regulator, the nuclear supervision department,” Likhachev said.

The Armenian side is also studying the possibility of extending the unit’s operation further, from 2036 to 2046. According to the Rosatom head, this is technically feasible but would require significant investment in upgrading safety and automation systems, repeat annealing of the reactor vessel, and expansion and repair of spent nuclear fuel storage facilities. The investment could reach hundreds of millions of dollars.

Another topic was the construction of a new nuclear unit. According to Likhachev, Armenia plans to decide on its technical design and project partners in the coming months.

“We have made a specific proposal to the Armenian government for a 1,000 MW unit under our best project, the VVER-1000. These are the VVERs we replicate at home, and these are the VVERs we have built and continue to build in India and Iran. They combine very high economic efficiency, namely a low cost of electricity, with all the necessary Generation III+ safety systems,” Likhachev said.

The Rosatom head stressed that the final decision on the technology and partner rests with the Armenian government. The Russian side is ready to implement the project in an international format involving foreign suppliers.

Background

The Armenian NPP is located near the town of Metsamor. Two units with VVER-440 reactors were built at the plant: the first was commissioned in 1976 and the second in 1980. The plant was shut down in March 1989 after the Spitak earthquake. The second unit was restarted in 1995. In 2021, a major modernisation of the unit was completed with Rosatom’s participation.

According to Armenia’s Statistical Committee, the Armenian NPP accounted for 18.7% of all electricity generated in the country in January-July 2026. The plant produced 939.5 million kWh, compared with 1,403.2 million kWh a year earlier, a decrease of 33.1%.