Nuclear Activities in Argentina. A short Review. Part 2

The second part of this historical review covers the 'industrial' period of nuclear energy in Argentina. The National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA), after a feasibility study carried out by argentine experts, in 1968 signed a contract to build a nuclear power plant. This PHWR plant, Atucha 1, of 310 MWe was inaugurated in 1973 and it is still operating. The same year the CNEA signed a new contract to build a CANDU type plant of 600 MWe, Embalse, that was finally inaugurated in 1983. The construction of a third plant, Atucha 2 of 745 MWe also a PHWR, was started in 1980 but was arrested in 1994, when more than 80% was completed, and it is still waiting a political decision to reach completion. Within the development of the nuclear power program, a fuel element production plant for the Argentine power reactors was built by the CNEA and a heavy water production plant of 250 tons/year was inaugurated in 1993 in the southern province of Neuquen. A pilot spent fuel reprocessing plant was designed but its construction was not completed. At the same time, a pilot gaseous diffusion plant was constructed in order to produce enriched uranium for research reactors. The activities in the field of radioisotope and radiation applications were also intensive, mainly in nuclear medicine and food preservation. A facility to fabricate sealed sources was built to process the Co 60 produced by the Embalse power plant. Argentina was active in the export of nuclear facilities: CNEA built a complete nuclear research center in Peru, and the Argentine company INVAP built research reactors in Algeria and Egypt. The same company is now building a research reactor in Australia. (author)