By Alexander Pracht
Armenian and U.S. officials met in Yerevan on Friday to discuss the construction of a new nuclear power unit in Armenia, as the government continues to weigh competing proposals from Washington and Moscow.
Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Narek Apitonyan met with a delegation led by Shawna J. Wilson, the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Security Assistance. According to an official Armenian readout, the sides discussed the progress of existing energy cooperation programs and prospects for further collaboration. No further details were provided on the nuclear project, and it remains unclear whether the US side made a specific proposal for the new plant.
The meeting comes amid uncertainty over Armenia’s choice of nuclear technology and supplier. In February, during US Vice President JD Vance’s visit to Yerevan, Armenia and the United States signed a joint statement completing negotiations on a civil nuclear cooperation agreement. Vance said the deal would pave the way for American nuclear technology, including small modular reactors, to be supplied to Armenia.
Armenia had previously favored small modular reactors to replace the aging Metsamor nuclear power plant, located west of Yerevan and expected to be decommissioned by 2036. However, the government’s position appeared to shift last month after Alexey Likhachev, the director of Russia’s nuclear state corporation Rosatom, visited Yerevan.
During the visit, Likhachev presented Russia’s proposal to build a 1,000-megawatt reactor. Pashinyan subsequently suggested that a plant of that size might be the most logical option as Armenia’s electricity demand grows.
Yerevan has not committed to either country’s proposal. Pashinyan has consistently said the final decision will be based entirely on economic rather than political considerations. However, Armenia’s earlier intention to sign with the U.S. was widely seen as an attempt to diversify its energy dependence on Russia. Moscow controls all of Armenia’s gas infrastructure and supplies natural gas to the country, which is used to heat homes and generate electricity. Although the existing Metsamor power plant is owned by the Armenian state, Rosatom provides maintenance and nuclear fuel.
Stories
