Argentina could conclude agreements with the governments of China and Russia , within the framework of the G20 meeting , on the one hand around the construction of the fourth nuclear power plant and, on the other, on a possible floating atomic plant.
The ambassador of Russia in Buenos Aires, Dmitri Feoktistov, told the Sputnik agency that it will include the possible construction of “a nuclear power plant of smaller capacity and, probably, the construction or sale of a floating nuclear plant, similar to the Akademik Lomonosov”.
This plant, on the Baltic Sea, started up its reactor at the beginning of this month and was conceived to operate in the Arctic and supply power to industries and remote port cities or oil platforms located on the high seas. “We are going to sign half a dozen different agreements” , in the nuclear, fishing and political dialogue order, the diplomat anticipated.
Feoktístov stressed “the possible construction of a large nuclear power plant designed by Russia” . “Russia is ready to bring a project and its own financing to Argentina, we can build an electric plant, operate it and sell electricity to the Argentine partners at a fixed price,” he added.
The Russian and Argentine authorities are also preparing an agreement involving the gas producer Gazprom and YPF: “The document is in the final phase and we hope to sign it,” concluded Feoktistov.
Agreements with China
The signing of the contract with China by Atucha III is pending since the national government decided to review the project, agreed during the previous administration.
In the nuclear industry, they hope to announce an agreement on the construction of the fourth plant financed by the Chinese, during the official visit of President Xi Jinping on Sunday, after the summit of leaders of the G20.
If the agreement is made concrete, for a figure that could reach US $ 8,000 million , the green light will be given to the definition of the technical project by technicians and specialists of the National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA), the companyNucleoeléctrica Argentina (NASA) and the Nuclear Regulatory Authority.
Only then, probably in late 2019, would begin the preparatory work to build the new plant, one of the largest enterprises funded by China in Argentina.
The technical project must detail the set of plans and components that the fourth plant will require, the selection of the scientists and technicians who will carry out the tasks, the training of the personnel and the realization of the bids to hire the suppliers, both for the work civil as for the nuclear itself, among other issues.
The initial agreement signed in 2015 with the Chinese included the construction of the fourth and fifth plants, both with Chinese technology of the Hualong Uno / HPR1000 type, with a useful life of 60 years, “the most modern and appropriate”, as determined by the CNEA
