Information Papers

Nuclear Power in Armenia

(December 2007)

Armenia has a population of 3.2 million. Natural gas is its main source of energy. Nuclear power from the single small reactor supplied 42% of the country's electricity in 2006 - 2.4 billion kWh. Electricity consumption per capita is about 1700 kWh/yr.

Nuclear power

One Russian VVER-440 nuclear power plant operates at Metsamor. Two V-230 reactors each of 407.5 MWe (gross) were built there on solid basalt and supplied power from 1976 and 1980 respectively. Design life was 30 years. These were the first Russian plants designed to be built in a region of high seismicity and were modified accordingly to be designated V-270, giving 376 MWe net. Plans for units 3 & 4 at the site were abandoned after the Chernobyl accident.

In December 1988, a powerful earthquake, resulting in the deaths of at least 25,000 people, occurred in northwestern Armenia. The Metsamor nuclear power plant 75 km from the epicentre continued operating normally with no damage, but both units were subsequently shut down in 1989 due to safety concerns regarding seismic vulnerability.

Unit 1, after 13 years operation, is now being decommissioned. In 1993 it was decided to restart the second unit due to the severe economic crisis and this was achieved in 1995, after 6.5 years shutdown. Since then the IAEA has been participating in safety improvements at the plant, which is now scheduled to close in 2016.

All fuel is supplied by Russia, but this has incurred significant foreign debt. As a result, the plant has been operated by a subsidiary of RAO UES and Rosenergoatom since 2003, as part of a five year arrangement to help pay off those debts.

In 2007 Russia offered to build a new 1000 MWe nuclear power plant in Armenia in return for minority ownership of it.  The energy minister announced a feasibility study for a new unit at Metsamor, which plant would cost some US$ 2 billion.  The investigation is being carried out with Russia, the USA and the IAEA.  The USA has expressed willingness to help build a new plant to go on line about 2016, and the figure of $3 billion has been mentioned for 1000 MWe.

The present Metsamor plant is a concern to the EU and to neighbouring Turkey, 16 km away.  There have been various calls to shut it down, but Armenia is very dependent on it.  In November 2007 it was reported that a shutdown plan had been agreed (for 2016?), at cost of $280 million.

The government has signed an agreement to become a partner in the international uranium enrichment centre at Angarsk in Siberia, under Russian leadership and IAEA supervision, from 2013.  Kazakhstan is also a partner in it.
Russia is also participating in a 50-50 joint venture to explore for uranium in Armenia.

 

Regulation

In 1993 the government established a new body under the Ministry of Energy to operate the plant, and in 1996 this was taken over by Armenian NPP (ANPP) joint stock company.

Also in 1993 the Armenian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ANRA) was established as regulator. In 1996 the Department of Atomic Energy was established within the Ministry of Energy.

Armenia has been a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency since 1993, and of WANO since 1996.

Non-proliferation

Armenia has been a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty since 1993, and in 1997 signed the Additional Protocol on its safeguards agreement with IAEA. It has been party to the Vienna Convention on civil liability for nuclear damage since 1993.

Main References:
IAEA 2003 Country profiles.