Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Suren Papikyan and the Russian ambassador in Yerevan Sergey Kopyrkin have discussed ongoing work to repair and upgrade the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), on 23 September.

The sides discussed cooperation between Russia and Armenia in the energy sector, enhancement of cooperation with Russia's Rosatom (State Atomic Energy Corporation), current work to repair and upgrade the plant, and prospects for the construction of a new nuclear power plant.

The interlocutors touched upon the expansion of cooperation with Russian nuclear state corporation Rosatom, focusing on the modernisation of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant that was commissioned to a Rosatom division. They also investigated the prospects for the construction of a new nuclear power plant in Armenia.

On 17 September, Rosatom specialists announced that the NPP may be used until 2036. "Already today we can state that the Armenian NPP is at its full capacity. After upgrading work, it will in fact be a new plant," Rosatom head Yevgeniy Salkov said.

The Armenian Nuclear Power Plant is located some 30 kilometres west of Yerevan. It was built in the 1970s but was closed following a devastating earthquake in 1988. One of its two VVER 440-V230 light-water reactors was reactivated in 1995.

In March 2014, the Armenian government decided to extend the plant’s service life up to 2026 because of a delay in building a new unit. The service life extension has become possible thanks to Russia’s financial resources. The country provided $270 million to Armenia as a loan and $30 million as a grant. The facility accounts for about 40% of the electricity generated in Armenia.

The plant produces over a third of all electricity in Armenia and ensures the country's energy security and independence. It added that the programme is expected to be completed by the end of 2021, which would allow increasing the efficiency of the NPP.