4 Dec (NucNet): Russia and Argentina have signed an agreement to explore the possibility of the construction of nuclear plants and floating nuclear plants for the South American country, Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom said.
The two countries will also cooperate on projects in third countries, including the construction of research centres and the development of human resources, Rosatom said. The agreement “opens the way” for joint research and training.
According to the agreement, the two countries will also consider the joint operation of a fleet of Russian-designed floating nuclear power plants.
Argentina has three operating commercial power reactors – a Candu unit at the Embalse nuclear station and two KWU (Kraftwerk Union) pressurised heavy water reactor units at Atucha. They provide about 10% of the country's electricity.
A prototype domestically designed and developed 25-MW small pressurised water reactor known as Carem is under construction at a site next to the Atucha station.
In 2017 Argentina said it planned to start construction of the first of two new nuclear reactor units in the second half of 2018, but so far this has not happened. Argentina was said to be in the process of finalising negotiation of the commercial and financial contracts to build the two plants after signing a $12.5bn agreement with China for the construction and financing.
According to the agreement, China’s National Nuclear Corporation and Nucleoeléctrica Argentina were to begin construction of Atucha-3, a 700-MW Candu-6 PHWR, in 2018 and will start building a 1,000-MW Hualong One, or HPR1000, pressurised-water reactor unit in 2020.
