Metsamor (, ), is a town and urban municipal community in the Armavir Province of Armenia. It is famous for being home to Armenia's Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant, the only nuclear plant in the Transcaucasian region. As of the 2011 census, the town had a population of 9,191. As per the 2016 official estimate, Metsamor has a population of around 8,000. Etymology The name of the town is derived from the nearby river of Metsamor. It is composed of 2 Armenian words: mets () meaning great, and mor () meaning mother's, being the genitive singular form of the word mayr () meaning mother. The name is most probably refers to the Virgin Mary as the Great Mother of God. History The construction of the settlement of Metsamor was launched in 1969, within the Hoktemberyan raion of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic. It was mainly founded as the residential settlement of the employees of the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant. The residential district was completed in 1972, and given the status of an urban-type settlement. The construction of the town was designed by the chief architect Martin Mikayelyan, assisted by architects G. Hovsepyan and K. Tiraturyan. It was first known as the Residential settlement of the Armenian nuclear power plant until 1972 when it was renamed Metsamor after the nearby river. The construction of the nuclear power plant was launched in 1969. Unit 1 plant was commissioned on December 22, 1976, while unit 2 was commissioned on January 5, 1980. However, it was temporarily closed in 1989 after the 1988 Armenian earthquake for environmental reasons. Energy shortages caused by its closure forced the Armenian government to reopen the plant in 1993. Unit 2 reactor was brought back into operation on October 26, 1995. Nowadays, the Metsamor plant generates 40% of Armenia's energy needs. The plant was heavily modernized and redeveloped between 2003 and 2015. The construction of a 3rd unit is planned to replace the old reactors by 2026. Following the independence of Armenia in 1991, Metsamor retained its status as an urban settlement within the newly formed Armavir Province, as per the 1995 administrative reforms. Geography Metsamor is located at the west of central Armenia in the Ararat Plain, at an average height of 855 meters above sea level. Surrounded with fertile farms of grapes, the town is at a road distance of 35 km west of the capital Yerevan and