Cooperation by Argentinian and Ukrainian operators

31 October 2016

State-owned nuclear companies Nucleoelétrica Argentina SA and Energoatom of Ukraine have signed a memorandum of understanding aiming to promote bilateral nuclear power development efforts.

Nucleoelectrica-Energoatom - October 2016 - 460  (Nucleoelectrica Argentina)
Energoatom's Yuri Nedashkovsky and Nucleoeléctrica's Omar Semmoloni exchange agreements (Image: Nucleoeléctrica Argentina)


The agreement was signed on 27 October in a ceremony at the Atucha nuclear power plant near Lima, 100km northwest of Buenos Aires. The Argentinian delegation was led by Omar Semmoloni, president of Nucleoeléctrica, Luis Olivieri, manager of Atucha complex, and Alberto Bottos, Atucha plant manager. The Ukrainian delegation was led by Energoatom president Yury Nedashkovsky and Ukraine's ambassador to Argentina, Yury Diudin.

The agreement focuses on scientific and technical cooperation on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and exchange of experience in nuclear power plant construction and operation, including the modernization and operating period extension of plants. It also covers training in power plant operation and maintenance, nuclear and radiation safety, and such other areas of cooperation as the parties may later determine.

Atucha is home to two of Argentina's three operating nuclear power plants, all pressurized heavy water reactors. With total generating capacity of 1627 MWe, the three units - Atucha 1 and 2 plus Embalse - provide about 10% of the country's electricity. A prototype domestically designed and developed 25 MWe small pressurized water reactor - CAREM - is under construction at a site adjacent to the Atucha plant.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News