LatinNews Daily - 03 February 2022

*Argentina’s state-owned nuclear power firm, Nucleoeléctrica Argentina (NA-SA) and China’s nuclear power firm China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), have signed a contract for the construction of the Atucha III nuclear power plant in Lima city, Buenos Aires province. The construction of the plant, Argentina’s fourth nuclear power plant, was first agreed in 2015 under the government led by former president Cristina Fernández (2007-2015), who is currently the country’s vice president, but the project subsequently stalled. According to Argentina’s government, the construction project involves an investment of US$8.3bn for engineering, construction, acquisition, commissioning, and delivery of an HPR-1000 type reactor. The new 1200-megawatt (MW) plant will have an initial useful life of 60 years, and will allow the expansion of national nuclear capacities, while construction is set to start at the end of this year. The deal comes ahead of an international tour of Russia, China and Barbados by President Alberto Fernández which begins today.