Capacity Building for Nuclear Power Life Extension: Case of the Argentine Republic

The Argentine Republic has been an active participant in the technical cooperation (TC) programme of the IAEA, involved in national as well as regional technical cooperation projects. The focus in the presentation will be particularly placed on those projects that helped to increase the nuclear power capabilities towards a sufficiency and reliable Argentine nuclear power programme.In this sense, the activities carried out under these projects benefitted from the participation of technical experts from the three main institutions of the national nuclear energy sector: the National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA), Nucleoeléctrica Argentina S.A.(NA-SA) and the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ARN). The TC activities carried out since 2009, after the reactivation of the national nuclear plan that involved the planning and deployment of several strategic projects, had a transcendent contribution by allowing the Argentine Republic to enhance and manage technical capabilities and also to strengthen the nuclear power programme on issues such as NPP's commissioning and licensing and life extension programs. Particularly, within the scope of the national technical projects ARG/2/013 and ARG/4/093, the main outcomes achieved include the development of a methodology for implementing the Plant Life Management (PLiM) Programme, the provision of base-line information and knowledge to carry out an ageing management programme for long term operation (LTO), the creation of a supporting working group for research and development activities, the raising of awareness about the importance of ageing management programs allowing the creation of working groups on this issue and the acquisition of capabilities -by all the counterparts involved-to extend the spent fuel storage and master the techniques to evaluate degradation. The projects and the activities developed helped to reinforce Argentina's commitment on the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), on objectives such as ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all, build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation and take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts, among others. (author)