Armenia might build new nuclear power plant

The Armenian Government is in talks with Russian mining company GeoProMining to build a new nuclear power plant, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at a parliamentary meeting, Report informs via TASS.

"We have begun negotiations with GeoProMining, which has made investment commitments to build a copper smelter, to construct a new nuclear power plant. Of course, the Government's participation in this process must be active because a nuclear power plant cannot be a completely private initiative," Pashinyan said.

The Armenian prime minister added that constructing a copper smelter and a new nuclear power plant will begin before June 2025.

The Metsamor nuclear power plant is currently operating in Armenia. Earlier this year, the European Commission said in a report on the implementation of the partnership agreement with Armenia in 2020 that the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant in Armenia should be closed as soon as possible because it could not be rebuilt following international nuclear safety standards.

For this reason, it is essential to create a roadmap for the closure of the Metsamor NPP as soon as possible.

The Metsamor NPP, which has been operating since 1976 and is already technologically obsolete, was shut down after a severe earthquake in 1988 and reopened in 1995, despite strong criticism and protests from the international community. Although the station's capacity is increased, safety rules are not followed.