Energy in Armenia
[3] Armenia has plans to build a new nuclear power plant in order to replace the aging and dangerous[4] Metsamor, possibly a small modular reactor.
Most of the rest of Armenia's electricity is generated by the natural gas-fired thermal power plants in Yerevan (completed in 2010) and Hrazdan.
Further restriction to Armenian oil imports represents economic blockade maintained by Azerbaijan to the East, and Turkey to the West.
[15] Natural gas represents a large portion of total energy consumption in Armenia, accounting for 50% and is the primary means of winter heating in the country.
[22] Gazprom wholly owns a crucial 24-mile section of the pipeline which Armenia surrendered in exchange for natural gas supplies from Russia at prices well below the European average until 2009.
According to an analyst, Armenia "effectively bargained away its future prospects for energy sources in return for cheaper prices now."
[21] In 2009 Armenia was importing 1-1.5 million cubic meters of Iranian natural gas, paying for this by electricity exports.
[24] According to the agreements reached in 2017 by Karapetyan government gas import price stands at $150 for one thousand cubic meters throughout year 2018.
[26] Since 1996 three main energy sources for electricity generation in Armenia were natural gas, nuclear power and hydropower.
A map of Armenia's National Electricity Transmission Grid can be found at the website of the Global Energy Network Institute here [1].
However, after the Spitak earthquake in 1988, the nuclear power plant's operation was forced to stop,[30] becoming one of the causes of the Armenian energy crisis of 1990's.
While Armenia is the sole owner of the plant, the Russian company United Energy Systems (UES) manages the Metsamor NPP.
[31] Armenia also explores the possibilities of small modular reactor that would give flexibility and the opportunity to build a new nuclear power plant in a short time.
[33] Because Turkey, despite its WTO obligation, blockades Armenian borders, nuclear fuel is flown in from Russia.
[citation needed] Armenia signed a cooperation agreement with the European Organization for Nuclear Research in March 1994.
During 2010–2017 thermal power plants (running on imported natural gas from Russia and Iran) provided about one-third of Armenia's electricity.
[40] With a capacity of 242 megawatts, its gas-powered turbine will be able to generate approximately one-quarter of Armenia's current (as of 2010) electricity output.
[40] The state-of-the-art plant was built in Yerevan in place of an obsolete facility with a $247 million loan provided by the Japanese government through the Japan Bank of International Cooperation (JBIC).
[40] Armenia's energy sector will expand further after the ongoing construction of the Hrazdan thermal plant's new and even more powerful Fifth Unit.
[40] The new Yerevan and Hrazdan TPP facilities will pave the way for large-scale Armenian imports of natural gas from neighboring Iran through a pipeline constructed in late 2008.
As of 1 January 2018, and according to the provided licenses, 36 additional SHPPs are under construction, with about total projected 69 MW capacity and 250 million kW*h electricity annual supply.
[56] One of the well-known utilization examples is the American University of Armenia (AUA) which uses it not only for electricity generation, but also for water heating.
