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Nucleoeléctrica, which owns and operates the unit, said it is the first time credit has been designated in Argentina to the development of the nuclear energy industry.
Nucleoeléctrica began working towards a life extension for Embalse in 2007 by carrying out studies of the unit’s reliability and aging of the systems. Once the lifetime extension project is complete, the plant will be in able to continue operating for a new cycle of 25 years, Nucleoeléctrica said.
The main activities to be carried out are replacing pressure tubes, steam generators, processing computers, and the upgrading of the plant.
CAF, whose headquarters are in Caracas, Venezuela, was established in 1970 and consists of 18 countries in Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe as well as 14 private banks from the Andean region of South America.
Embalse, a 600-megawatt Candu pressurised heavy water reactor supplied by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, began commercial operation in 1984.
Argentina’s only other commercially operation nuclear unit is Atucha-1. Atucha-2 is listed by the International Atomic Energy Agency as being under construction.
In August 2006, Argentina outlined plans for major investment in its nuclear power programme including completing construction of Atucha-2 and resuming uranium enrichment, which was halted in the 1990s.
>>Related reports in the NucNet database (available to subscribers)
AECL To Help Argentina Explore Possibility Of New-Build (World Nuclear Review No. 22, 2 June 2006)
AECL Signs Agreement For Completion Of Argentina’s Atucha-2 (News No. 255, 28 November 2006)
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