Argentina and Peru strengthen nuclear energy ties
Representatives of Argentina and Peru have signed an agreement to establish new areas of collaboration as they seek to further their long-standing ties in the field of peaceful nuclear energy.
Germán Guido Lavalle, head of Argentina's National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA), said: "Argentina maintains a long-standing and deep relationship with Peru, which also extends to the nuclear field. A significant milestone in that collaboration was our country's construction of the RP-10 research reactor, located on the outskirts of Lima. Since then, we have maintained a fruitful exchange, especially in human resource development and technical cooperation.
"The agreement we just signed renews and projects this cooperative relationship toward the challenges of the coming years."
The agreement was signed on the Peruvian side by Rolando Páucar Jáuregui from the country's Institute of Nuclear Energy (IPEN). It establishes new areas of collaboration in the development of scientific and technological research projects and in training as well as reaffirming "the commitment of the CNEA and IPEN to the use of nuclear energy as a driver of development in various fields, such as health, agriculture, and scientific research".
Argentina has exported two research reactors in the past to Peru - the RP-0 was launched in 1978 at IPEN headquarters and the RP-10, used for radioisotope production and scientific research, was launched in 1989.
Argentina currently has three operable nuclear power units - Atucha 1, connected in 1974, Atucha 2, which was connected in 2014 and Embalse which was connected to the grid in 1983. Between them they generate about 5% of the country's electricity. There had been plans for a fourth unit, as Atucha III, but it appears that has been superceded by plans for the development and deployment of a new wave of small modular reactors.
Argentina has already had an SMR in development: the CAREM SMR - the name comes from Central Argentina de Elementos Modulares - is a 32 MWe prototype and is Argentina's first domestically designed and developed nuclear power unit. First concrete was poured in 2014, but construction has since been suspended a number of times. It is currently estimated to be about two-thirds complete. With reports of funding uncertainty, a Critical Design Review was ordered for it in May last year. The country's INVAP has built several research reactors for CNEA and international customers including Peru, and is currently completing the RA-10 multipurpose research reactor in Argentina.
