Argentina and China plan fourth reactor

Tuesday, 3 February 2015

Argentina and China have ratified an agreement signed last year to work jointly on a project to build a fourth nuclear power reactor in the Latin American country.

De Vido and Bekri sign ratification agreement (Image: Argentine Ministry of Federal Planning)

The latest accord was signed today by Argentina's federal planning minister, Julio De Vido, and the president of China's National Energy Administration and vice president of China National Nuclear Company (CNNC), Nur Bekri.

The agreement was signed during the Second Argentine-Chinese Meeting of Strategic Dialogue for Economic Cooperation and Coordination, attended also by the Chairman of CNNC, Xu-Shaoshi, and ministers of Foreign Relations and Agriculture, Héctor Timerman and Carlos Casamiquela.

In a statement, de Vido's ministry said that the governments of both countries entrust Nucleoeléctrica Argentina, the ministry of federal planning, and CNNC to work on commercial contracts and arranging loans to be provided by Chinese financial institutions.

Nucleoeléctrica Argentina - holder of rights to Candu technology – will be the designer, architect-engineer, builder and operator of the new reactor. CNNC will provide equipment, goods and services, as well as materials needed by Argentinian companies to manufacture components for the project.

CNNC operates two Candu 6 units at its Qinshan plant in China's Zhejiang province.

The Candu reactor will have an installed capacity of 800 MWe and be built at the Atucha plant in Lima, Buenos Aires.

The construction period is expected to be eight years.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News