The Radiation Sources Regulatory Partnership (RSRP), a program funded by the US NRC in 1991, has been in Latin America since 2010. For example, RSRP supports a post-graduate program on radiation protection at UDELAS university (Universidad Espializada de las Americas) in Panama. RSRP concluded consulting programs for inventory and development of national registry, training and regulatory advice for new technology such as cyclotrons of various design and medical and industrial facilities that operate radiation sources in Paraguay, Colombia, Guatemala, Uruguay, Panama, Dominican Republic and Bolivia. The recent agreements signed in Atomexpo leads to the question: Is US NRC helping Rosatom in Latin America?
RSRP work of consulting and licensing implicitly facilitated Rosatom to step in this market. The recent agreements signed with Brazil, Chile, Cuba and previously with Bolivia indicate a clear strategy from Rosatom to expand in Latin America through its soft side of the nuclear technology. Below are the examples of latest agreements signed during Atomex in May 2018:
Brazil
Rusatom Healthcare (RHC)*, and CK3** (Brazil) signed a Project Development Agreement (PDA) for the joint implementation and operation of an Irradiation Center in Brazil. The document was signed by the RHC’s CEO Denis Cherednichenko, from Russian side, and by CK3’s director Raphael Guiguer, from Brazilian side.
The PDA sets the roadmap of the formation of a joint company aimed to offer irradiation services to the Brazilian market. The joint venture will use Russian technologies based on electron accelerators and x-rays for sterilization of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and healthcare products, among other industrial applications.
Chile
Rosatom signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in the field of education and personnel training for the needs of nuclear power industry and related areas; arrangements for personnel training programs for nuclear projects; preparation of joint education programs; exchange of students and highly skilled personnel; development of teaching aids and science publications, and organization of short-term internships, summer schools, and workshops. Deputy Director General of ROSATOM Nikolay Spasskiy signed on behalf of Russia, and Patricio Aguilera Poblete, Executive Director of Chile’s Atomic Energy Commission signed on behalf of Chile.
Another agreement was signed with the Chilean Commission of Nuclear Energy (CCHEN) to promote cooperation in the nuclear and lithium sector. Both sides will cooperate in the peaceful use of atomic energy, including the modernization and life extension of the research reactor in Chile; application of radiation technologies in medicine, agriculture, science and other related fields; back-end; development and application of technologies for extraction of lithium from brines and production of lithium products, including battery quality and co-production of cathode materials, battery cells and other high-tech products based on lithium and its compounds.
The document was signed by Rosatom Latin America’s (RLA) President Ivan Dybov and CCHEN’s Executive Director Patricio Aguilera Poblete. RLA is a regional center of Rusatom International Network***
Cuba
Another Memorandum of Understanding and Strategic Partnership was signed with Cuba in the development and use of irradiation technologies. The Parties will consult each other in order to define the fields, form, and principal terms of cooperation. One of the areas of cooperation is implementation of a project to develop a multi-purpose training center on the basis of a gamma-radiation facility in the Mariel Special Economic Zone.
Deputy Director General of ROSATOM Nikolay Spasskiy signed on behalf of Russia and Alonso Mederos, Deputy Minister of Science, Technology, and Environment signed on behalf of Cuba.
*Rusatom Healthcare JSC was established by the subsidiary of ROSATOM for purposes of development and production of equipment and radionuclide products for nuclear medicine and medical radiology, as well as industrial equipment and sterilization solutions for processing different types of products with ionizing radiation on the basis of electron-beam and gamma-ray installations.
**CK3 is a Brazilian consultancy and participations company, with experience in development of projects in many sectors, with focus in infrastructure and international negotiations. The company is part of Cherkezian group founded in the 70’s. Its parent companies have activities in real estate development and retail trade.
***Rusatom International Network is a non-profit organization within the ROSATOM State Corporation structure, that meets the challenges of developing and managing a network of foreign regional centers. The company’s structure incorporates 11 regional centers. The main tasks of the company and the regional centers include business development, promotion of Russian nuclear industry’s products and services on the global market, as well as ROSATOM State Corporation international communication support. One of the main functions of the company is the coordination of foreign economic activities of enterprises in the ROSATOM.
