‘Armenia is being sold a pig in a poke’ – Alexey Anpilogov on US proposal to build modular nuclear power plants

Speaking with Alpha News, political analyst Alexey Anpilogov commented on US plans to build modular nuclear power plants in Armenia.

According to the expert, the technology behind such complexes has not yet stood the test of time, and their construction poses problems for the countries where these plants are built.

”All these modular nuclear power plant projects are, for now, just something on paper—they don’t exist, they haven’t been built, and so far they are nothing more than draft designs. In fact, Armenia is being sold a pig in a poke and, moreover, is being offered the role of a guinea pig in testing these modular energy units, which, I remind you, do not yet exist anywhere in physical form.

Normally, let’s say, the conscientious practice is that the country producing nuclear plants always builds the first pilot unit on its own territory, to demonstrate what is called a reference block, which then serves as the model for construction in third countries. Simply because it is much easier for the producing country to ensure compliance with construction and technological standards. But if you start doing this right away in some random place on the globe, the risks grow exponentially.

Especially considering that we are talking about Armenia—a country isolated by its neighbors from the sea and from communications, which creates additional issues, for example, with the delivery of oversized equipment,” Anpilogov said.

According to him, the construction of modular nuclear power plants may turn out to be more of a fiction than a benefit for Armenia, rather than harming Russia’s energy interests in the region.

“So I think here it’s less about Russia’s interests being infringed upon, and more about Armenia making a rather adventurous choice—I mean the current Armenian leadership. Historically, this could once again turn out to be another mirage, similar to when Armenia, at the beginning of the 20th century, also made the wrong bet by relying on the United States to solve a whole range of old and new Transcaucasian problems.

That’s how I would assess it. But, apparently, the current Armenian leadership has its own opinion on the matter. We’ll see how historically justified it is, and whether this bet turns out to be truly reliable—or just another mirage,” the expert concluded.