NA-SA, INA to collaborate on Atucha environmental studies

The framework agreement was signed on 23 August by NA-SA President José Luis Antunez and INA President Juan Carlos Bertoni at NA-SA's headquarters in Buenos Aires. The agreement calls for cooperation in the development of programmes for the training of human resources, hydrological research, environmental studies, the innovative incorporation of warning networks and the development of technological infrastructure.

Two specific agreements emerged from the signed framework agreement for carrying out environmental studies, technological developments and hydrological investigations.

The objective of the first agreement is to obtain, within 10 months, the environmental impact statement provided for in the applicable environmental legislation for two projects promoted by NA-SA: the extension of the operation of the Atucha I nuclear power plant and the Dry Storage of Spent Fuel Elements II (ASECGII) project. For this, INA will prepare environmental impact studies of both projects and carry out the corresponding public hearings, among other activities.

In addition, the objective of the agreement is to obtain the hydraulic pre-feasibility certifications for the construction of the new Atucha 3 nuclear power plant.

The second 12-month agreement is for the INA to provide NA-SA with forecasts of water levels in the Paraná de las Palmas River, which is used for cooling the Atucha 1 and 2 plants, with a range of uncertainty lower than current predictions and with different forecast periods. In addition, it must provide interoperable products for decision-making in the operation of plants and generate simplified tools that allow different hydrological conditions and scenarios to be evaluated.

For this, INA will carry out hydrodynamic modeling for the transfer of floods and low water situations of the Paraná River from a model that contemplates the Paraguay River downstream of Asunción and the Paraná River downstream of Yacyretá, extending to the Río de la Silver. An existing two-dimensional hydrodynamic model of the Río de la Plata estuary will be updated to replicate and predict astronomical and meteorological tides and a dashboard for NA-SA management will be developed.

Antunez noted that "in the past, these services were contracted abroad to private parties, but the national public sector [now] has great intellectual capacities to carry out these studies."

Atucha 1 is a pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR) that started up in 1974 and currently has a licence to operate until 2024. NA-SA plans to submit a request to the Argentinian Nuclear Regulatory Authority to extend this by 20 years. Atucha 2, also a PHWR, began commercial operation in 2016. Atucha 3 will use China's Hualong One (HPR1000) pressurised water reactor technology.