Armenia Sets 2027 Deadline to Choose Technology for New Nuclear Power Plant to Replace Metsamor

Armenia will decide by the end of 2027 what technology to use for its next nuclear power plant, narrowing the timeline for a project that will eventually replace the aging Metsamor facility and could reshape the country’s energy partnerships.

The deadline appears in the government’s 2026-2031 program, which calls for moving ahead with construction of a new nuclear unit. The government says it will complete at least the selection of the reactor technology by the end of next year.

No decision has been announced on the size of the future plant, the type of reactor or the company that could build it.

Armenian officials have spent several years studying options from different countries, including traditional nuclear plants and small modular reactors, or SMRs. The government has shown particular interest in smaller units that could be more easily integrated into Armenia’s electricity grid.

Russia remains one of the potential partners. State-owned nuclear corporation Rosatom has proposed large- and medium-capacity plants with either one or two units.

At the same time, Yerevan has explored alternatives involving the United States, France, China and South Korea. Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Minister Davit Khudatyan said earlier this year that Armenia was examining proposals from about a dozen companies.

Cooperation with Washington has advanced significantly this year.

During U.S. Vice President JD Vance’s visit to Armenia in February, the two governments signed a Section 123 civil nuclear cooperation agreement. The agreement provides the legal framework for peaceful nuclear cooperation and opens the way for U.S. companies to take part in Armenia’s future nuclear projects.

Armenia has previously considered U.S.-designed modular reactors with a capacity of about 300 megawatts each as one possible option for replacing Metsamor.

The existing plant, located about 35 kilometers west of Yerevan, remains a critical part of Armenia’s power system, generating as much as 30% of the country’s electricity.

The government plans to keep Metsamor operating through 2036 while work on its replacement moves forward. Its new program confirms plans for a second extension of the plant’s operating life, covering 2026 to 2036.

Armenia signed a $65 million agreement with Rosatom in 2023 for work aimed at extending the life of Metsamor’s Soviet-designed reactor. Russia also remains the plant’s nuclear fuel supplier.

Khudatyan said in June that keeping Metsamor online for another decade would give Armenia more time to evaluate its options rather than make a rushed decision on a replacement. He said the government could wait until 2027 to choose the technology.

The new program now establishes that timeline as government policy.

The decision will come as Armenia seeks to diversify relationships in strategic sectors long dominated by Russia while preserving nuclear power as a major source of domestic electricity. Although Yerevan is considering Western and Asian alternatives for its next plant, Rosatom continues to play a central role at Metsamor through its modernization work and fuel supplies.

The technology Armenia chooses — and the country selected to provide it — will help determine the direction of the country’s nuclear energy sector well beyond 2036.

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