Armenia Wants to Join Nuclear Cooperation Agreement with U.S.

The United States confirmed it is studying a request by Armenia to sign a deal that would allow Washington to transfer civil nuclear technology to Yerevan, a State Department spokesperson said.

“The U.S. Government does not share details of the negotiation process, but we can share that the State Department is giving Armenia’s request for a 123 Agreement the proper attention and due consideration,” a State Department spokesperson said in written comments to CivilNet Tuesday.

In 2022, Armenia and the United States signed a Memorandum of Understanding Concerning Civil Nuclear Cooperation.

Section 123 of the U.S. Atomic Energy Act generally requires the conclusion of a peaceful nuclear cooperation agreement for significant transfers of nuclear material or equipment from the United States. Moreover, such agreements, commonly referred to as “123 Agreements,” facilitate cooperation in other areas, such as technical exchanges, scientific research, and safeguards discussions.

Armenia plans to upgrade the lifecycle of Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant, which relies on the Russian Rosatom state corporation for fuel supply and maintenance, until 2036. Then it will be decommissioned and replaced. The Armenian government in early August set up a new state agency in charge of developing the project for a new nuclear reactor to replace the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant.

Armenia’s National Security Chief Armen Grigoryan said last month that Armenia is discussing with the United States the possibility of building a new, U.S.-designed nuclear plant that would replace its aging facility at Metsamor

“We have entered a very substantive phase,” Armen Grigoryan told a conference in Yerevan in July. “We are now discussing with the United States putting in place a legal framework. Without a legal framework, we can’t move forward.”

“I can say that the ball is now in the U.S. court. We expect that they will go through internal U.S. procedures before we begin our work,” he added without giving any details.

The Metsamor is due to be decommissioned in 2036. The Armenian government announced in April 2022 plans to build a new nuclear plant by that time.

The U.S. has shown an interest in the ambitious project, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan signing in May 2022 a memorandum of understanding on “strategic nuclear cooperation” between their countries.