The Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (ANPP) will be taken offline for approximately five months starting in April 2026 for major scheduled maintenance, Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure David Khudatyan announced.
Speaking at a press conference summarizing the government’s 2025 results, Khudatyan said the plant will be disconnected from the national power grid for the duration of the maintenance period. He assured that the shutdown will not lead to disruptions in Armenia’s electricity supply, citing sufficient underutilized generating capacity.
According to the minister, solar power plants with a total installed capacity of around 1,100 megawatts are currently connected to Armenia’s power grid, accounting for roughly 15 percent of the country’s total electricity generation last year.
Khudatyan acknowledged that a five-month shutdown is relatively long but emphasized that such extended maintenance periods are not unusual for nuclear power plants. “Short-term maintenance work lasting from one month to 40 days is carried out annually at nuclear power plants, while longer scheduled shutdowns are also planned periodically,” he said.
In addition, Khudatyan announced that Armenia’s future nuclear power plant will be modular in design, though no final decision has yet been made regarding the specific model.
“We have continued to study the proposals presented to us, including those from the Russian Federation, the United States, China, Korea, and France, but we do not yet have a final decision on the model,” the minister said. According to Khudatyan, the selection of the model is expected to take place in 2026 or 2027, noting that there is no need to rush the decision.
“Depending on the choice of model, we will also determine which country we will cooperate with. As you know, modular nuclear systems have not been widely implemented in the past, so additional research is required in this area, which is what we are currently doing,” he added.
Khudatyan also said there is an opportunity to extend the operational lifespan of the existing nuclear power plant by another 10 years.
“We are confident that over the next decade, the nuclear power plant will remain connected to Armenia’s energy system. This is a set of programs that must be implemented over a ten-year period. A significant portion of the contracts have already been signed, and most of the work is already underway,” he said.
The Armenian Nuclear Power Plant, located near the town of Metsamor, about 30 kilometers west of Yerevan, is the only nuclear power facility in the South Caucasus and remains one of Armenia’s primary sources of electricity, providing up to 40 percent of the country’s total energy output. The operational lifespan of the plant’s current power unit has been extended until 2026, with ongoing efforts aimed at prolonging its operation for an additional decade.
