SNC-Lavalin has been awarded a pre-project contract from Argentina’s Nucleoeléctrica Argentina SA (NA-SA) for the CANDU nuclear new build project at the Atucha site in the district of Zàrate, about 100 kilometres from Buenos Aires. If this project materialises, it would be the first CANDU new build since Romania’s Cernavoda unit 2 went on line in 2007.
The six-month pre-project contract will allow SNC-Lavalin, owner of Candu technology, to engage with suppliers for long-lead equipment, conduct preliminary design work, deliver safety analyses, offer licensing support and provide technical assistance from Canada.
Argentina already owns and operates a CANDU reactor at Embalse, about 650 km northwest of Buenos Aires. Construction of this reactor began in 1976 and it went into commercial operation in 1984. As well as supplying electricity, Embalse is also used to produce Cobalt-60, for medical and industrial applications. SNC-Lavalin is currently engaged in life extension activities for the Embalse reactor.
