Nuclear in Argentina

NUCLEAR IN ARGENTINA

Overview

Argentina has two nuclear reactors generating nearly one-tenth of its electricity.
Its first commercial nuclear power reactor began operating in 1974.
Completion of the country's third reactor is expected by early 2011.

Electricity consumption in Argentina has grown strongly since 1990. Per capita consumption was just over 2000 kWh/yr in 2002 and rose to over 2600 kWh/yr in 2007. Gross electricity production in 2007 was 115 billion kWh, 54% of this from gas, 27% from hydro, 9.4% from oil, 2.2% from coal, and 6.3% (7.2 billion kWh) from nuclear. In 2008, nuclear power provided over 6.8 billion kWh of electricity – about 6.2% of total electricity generation.

Argentina's electricity production is largely privatised, and is regulated by ENRE (Ente Nacional Regulador de la Electricidad). Installed capacity is about 35 GWe, about 11% of which is from autoproducers and private generators.

Operating Argentine Nuclear Power Reactors

Operating NP Reactors

Argentine nuclear power reactors under construction and planned

Proposed NP Reactors

Nuclear Industry Development

The country's Atomic Energy Commission (Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica, CNEA) was set up in 1950 and resulted in a spate of activity centred on nuclear R&D, including construction of several research reactors. Today, five research reactors are operated by CNEA and others.

In 1964, attention turned to nuclear power, and following a feasibility study for a 300-500 MWe unit for the Buenos Aires region, bids were invited. With the country's policy firmly based on using heavy water reactors fuelled by natural uranium, Canadian and German offers for heavy water designs were most attractive, and that from Kraftwerk Union (KWU) – with 100% financing – was accepted. That Atucha plant was built at Lima, 115 km from Buenos Aries.

Atucha 1 entered commercial operation in 1974. It has a pressure vessel, unlike any other extant heavy water reactor, and it now uses slightly enriched (0.85%) uranium fuel which has doubled the burn-up and consequently reduced operating costs by 40%.

In 1967, a second feasibility study was undertaken for a larger plant in the Córdoba region, 500 km inland. In this case a CANDU-6 reactor from Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd (AECL) was selected, partly due to the accompanying technology transfer agreement, and was constructed with the Italian company Italimpianti. This Embalse plant entered commercial operation in 1984, running on natural uranium fuel.

In 1979, a third plant – Atucha 2 – was ordered following a government decision to have four more units coming into operation 1987-97. It was a Siemens design, a larger version of unit 1, and construction started in 1981 by a joint venture of CNEA and Siemens-KWU. However, work proceeded slowly due to lack of funds and was suspended in 1994 with the plant 81% complete.

In 1994, Nucleoeléctrica Argentina SA (NASA) was set up to take over the nuclear power plants from CNEA and oversee construction of Atucha 2.

The Siemens design of the Atucha PHWR units is unique to Argentina, and NASA was seeking expertise from Germany, Spain and Brazil to complete the unit. In 2003, plans for completing the 692 MWe Atucha 2 reactor were presented to the government. In August 2006, the government announced a US$ 3.5 billion strategic plan for the country's nuclear power sector. This involved completing Atucha 2 and extending the operating lifetimes of Atucha 1 and Embalse. Extending the life of the Embalse CANDU-6 type plant by 25 years in partnership with Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd (AECL) is expected to cost $400 million. Completing Atucha 2 by 2010 is expected to cost US$ 600 million, including $400 million for 600 tonnes of heavy water. The government projects completion of Atucha 2 by the end of 2010.

The goal is for nuclear power to be part of an expansion in generating capacity to meet rising demand. Meanwhile, a feasibility study on a fourth reactor was undertaken, to start construction after 2010, and US$ 2 billion was projected for this. In July 2007, NASA signed an agreement with AECL to establish contract and project terms for construction of a 740 MWe CANDU-6 reactor, as well as completing Atucha 2. A further 740 MWe CANDU-6 unit is proposed. However, in April 2010, the government was talking also with reactor vendors from France, Russia, Japan and the USA, indicating that its fourth and fifth reactors could be PWR type.

In February 2010, the government signed an agreement with Russia's Rosatom to share technical information related to the construction of nuclear power plants and look at possibly using Russian technology in the country. In April 2010, a nuclear cooperation agreement was signed with Russia.

CAREM Reactor

Another aspect of the 2006 plan was a move towards building a prototype of the CAREM reactor, and it is now planned to build this in the northwestern Formosa province.

Developed by CNEA and INVAP (Investigación Aplicada), the CAREM nuclear reactor is a modular 100 MWt simplified pressurised water reactor with integral steam generators designed to be used for electricity generation (27 MWe) or as a research reactor or for water desalination. Recent studies have explored scaling it up to 100 or 300 MWe. CAREM has its entire primary coolant system within the reactor pressure vessel, self-pressurised and relying entirely on convection. Fuel is standard 3.4% enriched PWR fuel, with burnable poison, and it is refuelled annually. It is a mature design which could be deployed within a decade.

Radioactive Waste Management

The April 1997 National Law of Nuclear Activity assigns responsibility to CNEA for radioactive waste management, and creates a special fund for the purpose. Operating plants pay into this.

Low and intermediate-level wastes including used fuel from research reactors are handled at CNEA's Ezeiza facility. Used fuel is stored at each power plant. There is some dry storage at Embalse.

CNEA is also responsible for plant decommissioning, which must be funded progressively by each operating plant.

Regulation and Safety

In 1994, the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (Autoridad Regulatoria Nuclear, ARN) was formed and took over all regulatory functions from the National Board on Nuclear Regulation (Ente Nacional Regulador Nuclear, ENREN) and CNEA. As well as radiation protection, it is responsible for safety, licensing and safeguards. It reports to the President.

Non Proliferation

Argentina is a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) since 1995 as a non-nuclear weapons state, and has been a party to the Tlatelolco Treatyd since 1994. However, full-scope safeguards have operated since 1991 in conjunction with the Brazilian-Argentine Agency for the Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials (ABACC) under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Argentina has not signed the Additional Protocol in relation to its safeguards agreements with the IAEA. The country is a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

(Source: World Nuclear Association)