Argentina is looking to double the size of its nuclear sector with new power reactors in deals with China and the "national" construction of a new Candu unit with Canadian support, José Luis Antúnez, the head of national utility Nucleoeléctrica Argentina SA, said in an interview with Perfil newspaper. Construction of a Hualong One unit could begin at Atucha as soon as next year.

Nucleoeléctrica Argentina SA will complete the construction of the prototype CAREM-25 reactor under a contract signed with the country's National Atomic Energy Commission. The contract specifies construction of the small modular reactor will be completed within three years. Work on the small pressurised water reactor began at a site adjacent to the Atucha nuclear power plant in Buenos Aires Province in early 2014, but has been suspended several times.

US company Energy Fuels Inc will become a commercial rare earths supplier in 2021, having entered into a three-year supply agreement to acquire a minimum of 2500 tons per year of natural monazite sands from which it will also recover uranium at its White Mesa mill in Utah. Separately, Vancouver-based International Consolidated Uranium Inc said it had been attracted to its newly announced acquisition of the Laguna Salada uranium project in Argentina by the by-product vanadium.

The installation of the pumps for the primary cooling circuit of Argentina's RA-10 multipurpose reactor has been completed, the country's National Atomic Energy Commission has announced. This marks completion of the assembly of the reactor's large components.

Construction is to be resumed of the prototype CAREM-25 reactor and a used fuel dry storage facility, as well as the refurbishment of the Atucha 1 nuclear power plant, Nucleoeléctrica Argentina SA announced. Energy Minister Sergio Lanziani said the projects - work on which was suspended last year "due to breaches by contractor companies" - are vital for the country.

Countries embarking on nuclear energy programmes for the first time or expanding their programmes after a long period without construction face integrated challenges, representatives from emerging and expanding nuclear countries have said. These challenges include the development of human resources as well as financial and political considerations.

The Embalse nuclear power plant in Argentina resumed commercial operation following a three-year upgrade programme that was completed in January, the country's Ministry of Energy announced on 30 May. Plant operator Nucleoelectrica Argentina has been conducting tests in the four months since first criticality.

India and Argentina have agreed to boost cooperation in the nuclear energy sector with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on 18 February by India's Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership and Argentina’s National Atomic Energy Commission during Argentine President Mauricio Macri's state visit to Delhi this week.

The Embalse nuclear power plant in Argentina has returned to service for another 30 years of operation following completion of upgrade work, Nucleoeléctrica Argentina announced on 4 January.

Russia and Argentina plan to expand their cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy following the signing of a strategic document on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Buenos Aires.

An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team of experts yesterday completed a review of long-term operational safety at Argentina's Atucha I nuclear power plant. The team reviewed the plant's preparedness, organisation and programmes related to long-term operation against IAEA safety standards.

A memorandum of understanding signed between Nucleoeléctrica Argentina SA and Belgium's Nuclear Research Centre aims at extending cooperation on nuclear safety.