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| Fig. 1: Atucha II under construction. (Source: Wikimedia Commons) |
Argentina has 3 nuclear power plants in operation: Atucha I, Atucha II, and Embalse. [1] Atucha I has a net capacity of 340 MW (megawatts), Embalse has a net capacity of 608 MW, and Atucha II (see Fig. 1) has a net capacity of 693 MW. [1] Together, the 3 plants have a total capacity of 1641 MW.
Argentina's nuclear program has not kept pace with the rate of growth of other forms of energy. In 1990, Argentina produced 6.72 TWh (terawatt-hours) of nuclear electricity. [1] This accounted for 19.8% of total electricity production. [1] In 2021, Argentina produced 10.17 TWHh of nuclear electricity, a 51% increase. [1] However, other forms of energy increased more quickly such that in 2021, nuclear power plants only accounted for 7.2% of electricity production. [1]
Additionally, Argentina's plants have faced issues. Most notably, Atucha II was non-operational during most of 2023 due to a collapse of one of the reactor's metal internal supports. [2] Atucha II was operational again as of August 2023, but was non-operational for 10 months, and the repairs cost $20 million. [2]
Cristina Fernandez is an Argentinian left-wing politician in power from 2007 to 2015. [3] During her administration, she was known for striking several deals with China. [3] One such deal was a contract with China to build Atucha III, a third nuclear power plant built in the same location as Atucha I and Atucha II. [3] Cristina Fernandez left office in 2015, after which progress on the deal stalled. [3] The new president, Mauricio Macri, took a hard line on China, which may have contributed to the stalled deal. [3]
Mauricio Macri was succeeded by Alberto Fernandez in 2019, who was more friendly to China. On February 1st, 2022, Chinese media announced that the state-owned China National Nuclear Corp signed a contract with Argentina to build Atucha III. [4] The projected cost is $8 billion. [4] Atucha III will be built according to the Hualong One model, a pressurized water nuclear reactor power plant developed by the Chinese government. [4] There is currently only one operational Hualong One reactor, which is in Fujian, China. [4] Argentina and Pakistan are the two overseas countries currently constructing Hualong One reactors. [4] Argentina's government stated that Atucha III will have a gross capacity of 1,200 MW. [4] If we assume that Atucha III has a net capacity of at least 1,000 MW, this would increase Argentina's net nuclear capacity from 1,641 MW to 2,641 MW, a 60.9% increase.
The president of Argentina since December 2023 is Javier Milei. [5] Milei is known for opposing high government spending. Additionally, he opposes deeper ties with China. [5] As of February 2024, Atucha III's plans remain in place. However, Milei has taken action in other energy sectors. He has declared a power sector emergency, to decrease energy price controls and take power away from gas and electricity regulators. [6] It is possible that Argentina's nuclear policy will see another about-face.
© Michael Atkin. The author warrants that the work is the author's own and that Stanford University provided no input other than typesetting and referencing guidelines. The author grants permission to copy, distribute and display this work in unaltered form, with attribution to the author, for noncommercial purposes only. All other rights, including commercial rights, are reserved to the author.
[1] "Nuclear Power Reactors in the World, 2022 Edition," International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA-RDS-2.42, June 2022.
[2] F. Iglesia, "After 10 Months, the Atucha II Nuclear Power Plant Is Back Online," Buenos Aires Herald, 30 Aug 23.
[3] C. Garrison, "Chinese Delegation to Visit Argentina to Discuss Stalled Nuclear Deal: Government Source," Reuters, 15 Mar 19.
[4] A. Jourdan, "China Inks $8 Bln Nuclear Power Plant Deal in Argentina," Reuters, 2 Feb 22.
[5] J. Pablo Criales, "Javier Milei: The Ultra-Right Libertarian and Anarcho-Capitalist Who Represents Angry Argentina, El País, 14 Aug 23.
[6] E. Raszewski, "Argentina's Milei Declares Energy Sector Emergency, Sets Stage For Price Hikes," Reuters, 18 Dec 23.
