The USA and Armenia have signed an agreement on nuclear energy.

The USA and Armenia have signed an agreement on nuclear energy.
Tuesday, February 10, 2026.
Days after the CEO of Rosatom confirmed the Russian nuclear company's readiness to collaborate with Armenia on the construction of new nuclear power plants, Armenia and the USA concluded negotiations on a cooperation agreement that will pave the way for American companies to secure deals on nuclear energy projects in Armenia.

The USA and Armenia have signed an agreement on nuclear energy.
JD Vance and Nikol Pashinyan in a photo during Vance's visit (Image: Prime Minister of Armenia)
During the visit to Armenia, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and the Vice President of the USA JD Vance signed a joint statement announcing the conclusion of negotiations on the Cooperation Agreement between the government of the Republic of Armenia and the government of the United States of America in the field of peaceful use of nuclear energy.

After the agreement is concluded, American and Armenian companies will be able to "sign deals" on civilian nuclear projects, Vance said: "This means up to 5 billion USD in initial exports from the USA, as well as an additional 4 billion USD in long-term support through fuel contracts and maintenance."

Formal cooperation agreements are necessary between countries wishing to trade goods and services in the field of nuclear energy, and agreements involving the USA are referred to as 123 agreements, named after the section of the 1954 Atomic Energy Act that requires them.

"This is a classic win-win situation for both Armenia and the United States of America," Vance said. "This means strengthening the energy security of my country, and I also think it means strengthening the energy security of Armenia, as well as creating many new jobs in our country. This means the emergence of small modular reactors, American technologies in our country."

This statement came days after the meeting between Alexey Likhachev, the CEO of the Russian state atomic corporation Rosatom, and Alen Simonyan, the Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia, to discuss progress in the project to extend the operational life of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant. According to Rosatom, these discussions also addressed the construction of new power units in Armenia, with Rosatom offering "comprehensive cooperation, including construction of large, medium, and small nuclear power plants and implementation of relevant projects, including non-nuclear ones."

Currently, Armenia operates one nuclear reactor — a VVER reactor with a capacity of 376 MW at the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant, which was commissioned in 1980. The plant had two power units, which were decommissioned in 1988 due to safety issues related to seismic vulnerability. Unit No. 2 was restarted in 1995, and currently, Rosatom is collaborating on a project to extend its operational life until 2036. Unit No. 1 is currently being decommissioned.

Armenia has been considering the construction of new nuclear power plants for some time. In January 2022, Rosatom and the management of the Armenian NPP signed an agreement to explore the possibility of constructing new nuclear units of Russian design at the site of the current facility in Metsamor, as well as in

In January 2024, officials announced that Armenia plans to build a new nuclear power plant within 8-10 years, while considering technological options from Russia, the USA, and South Korea.

The Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Armenia, David Khudatyan, speaking at a press conference on February 6, stated that Armenia is currently considering proposed models of "modular nuclear reactors" from Russia, the USA, France, China, and South Korea. "I believe that the choice of the model will be made in 2026 or 2027," he said, according to the Armenian news agency Armenpress.

WNN is the news service of the World Nuclear Association.

© 2007-2026 World Nuclear Association, registered in England and Wales under number 01215741.
Privacy Policy Cookie Policy