ArmInfo. A nuclear power plant with small modular reactors (SMRs) is to be built in Armenia. This was announced by RA Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure David Khudatyan at a press conference on February 3.
According to him, the process of studying existing proposals from SMR-producing countries is currently ongoing. These include projects proposed by Russia, the United States, China, Korea, and France. Nevertheless, the minister noted, no final decision has yet been made on the SMRs. Khudatyan continued, "It appears likely that the studies will be conducted in either 2026 or 2027." "We don't need to rush, and depending on the SMR model, we will negotiate with the producing country," Khudatyan said, adding that the SMR nuclear power plant system is not widespread worldwide. The minister recalled that the second program to extend the operating life of Unit 2 at the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (ANPP) to 2036 is currently underway. Khudatyan assessed the results of the first program as highly successful.
As a reminder, the minister previously noted that there are currently no SMR nuclear power plants in the world. He emphasized that several are scheduled to be commissioned this year, and after studying their effectiveness, a final decision will be made on the SMR type and country of manufacture. For this reason, the country's authorities are allocating one to two years to complete this task.
