U.S. firm visits Armenia for feasibility study on nuclear plant replacement

A U.S. energy firm has visited Armenia to expand cooperation in the field of civilian nuclear energy. The U.S. Embassy in Yerevan said Friday experts from Sargent & Lundy visited the Armenian capital this week to provide technical assistance on the Small Modular Reactor technology.

It added that the company had completed a pre-feasibility study on replacing the aging Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant unit with advanced U.S. technology.

Earlier in February, Armenia and the United States signed a bilateral agreement enabling cooperation in civilian nuclear energy, including potential power plant construction and nuclear fuel supply.

The Armenian government is widely understood to be leaning toward U.S. cooperation for the eventual replacement of the region’s sole nuclear power plant located west of Yerevan. Commissioned in 1976, the facility is expected to operate for another decade before being decommissioned.

Also read: How Armenia’s new partnership with the U.S. is likely to affect its energy sector

The issue has taken on political significance in recent years, as Russia currently provides maintenance and nuclear fuel for the plant. The decision to engage with the United States would therefore mean diversifying Yerevan’s energy dependence on Russia. Moscow has also signaled it is ready to offer replacement solutions, including its own modular reactor technologies.

Also read: ‘Ball in Yerevan’s court,’ says Russia’s envoy, pushing new nuclear reactor deal

Armenia’s energy system has a diversified mix of generation sources, with some excess capacity, making large conventional nuclear plants less suitable. Instead, the country has shown interest in small modular reactors – a relatively uncommon technology globally – which consist of multiple smaller units combined to deliver a more flexible and precisely scaled power output.