Surging news learned from CNNC that on February 1, China’s independent third-generation nuclear power Hualong 1 sent another good news: Argentine nuclear power company officially signed the design, procurement and construction contract of artucha No. 3 nuclear power plant project in Argentina with CNNC, China Zhongyuan and China Zhongyuan Argentina branch of CNNC.
According to the EPC contract, CNNC will build a hualong-1 pressurized water reactor nuclear power plant for Argentina in a “turnkey” mode through EPC. Nuclear power project cooperation is an important part of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Argentina. 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Argentina. As early as 1985, the Chinese and Arab governments signed the agreement on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. CNNC took the lead in China’s Central Plains to deeply cultivate the Argentine market and promote project development. The Chinese and Arab nuclear science and technology workers worked together to reach an agreement on the general contract.
Each Hualong No. 1 unit has an installed capacity of 1.2 million KW and an annual power generation capacity of nearly 10 billion kwh, which can meet the annual production and domestic power demand of 1 million people in moderately developed countries. CNNC said that as a “national card” for China National Nuclear Power Co.Ltd(601985) to the world, Hualong 1 is one of the three generations of nuclear motors with the highest acceptance in the current nuclear power market. At present, Hualong No. 1, the world’s first Fuqing No. 5 unit and the overseas first Karachi No. 2 unit in Pakistan have been successfully completed and put into operation and maintained safe and stable operation; Fuqing unit 6 has been connected to the grid for power generation. In addition, hualong-1 has been built in batches in Zhangzhou, Fujian and Changjiang, Hainan.
According to the information disclosed by Argentine nuclear power company, the total investment of atucha No. 3 nuclear power plant is expected to be US $8 billion, which will create more than 7000 jobs. After the “turnkey” contract is signed, it will continue to meet the conditions set forth in the contract, including the authorization of the competent authorities of the two countries and relevant agreements on finance and technology transfer. The Argentine Embassy in China said that according to the contract, the project will start before the end of this year.
“Hualong-1 is not only a major achievement in the development of China National Nuclear Power Co.Ltd(601985) , but also the preferred scheme of China’s third-generation nuclear power for Argentina and the world.” At the signing ceremony, Yu Jianfeng, chairman of CNNC group, said that CNNC group will give full play to the advantages of the whole industrial chain, work closely with Afghanistan, safely and efficiently promote the construction of atucha No. 3 nuclear power plant project, and build it into a model project and benchmark project of China Arab nuclear energy cooperation.
Gihilov, governor of Buenos Aires Province of Argentina, and Antunes, President of Argentine nuclear power company, unanimously said that nuclear energy cooperation will play an increasingly important role in developing the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. The construction of Hualong unit 1 in atucha No. 3 nuclear power plant project will bring clean, reliable and sustainable base load energy to Argentina, Contributing to climate change will help strengthen the close relationship between the two countries for the peaceful development of nuclear power, nuclear science and technology and industry.
Argentina’s nuclear industry started in the 1950s. As the first Latin American country to develop civil nuclear energy technology, Argentina currently has three nuclear power plants, atucha I, embalse and atucha II, all of which use heavy water reactor (PHWR) nuclear power technology, providing nearly 5% of the country’s power supply. However, from a global perspective, light water reactor has always been the mainstream reactor type in the development of nuclear power in the world.
In 2009, Argentina decided to build a new nuclear power plant in order to revitalize the nuclear industry, meet the demand for energy supply and adjust the energy structure. Since 2010, CNNC has carried out nuclear energy exchanges with Argentina and actively developed the Argentine nuclear power market.
In February 2015, the Chinese and Argentine governments signed the agreement on cooperation in the construction of pressurized water reactor nuclear power plants in Argentina, marking the arrival of Hualong 1 in the Latin American nuclear power market. On this basis, in November 2015, CNNC and Argentine nuclear power company signed a framework contract for PWR project.
However, the implementation progress of the above projects is deeply affected by the change of regime in Argentina. Until May 2017, during one of the “one belt, one road” International Cooperation Summit Forum, CNNC and Argentina nuclear power company signed the general contract on the construction of fourth and fifth nuclear power plants in Argentina. According to the agreement of both parties, the construction of a 700000 kW CANDU-6 heavy water reactor nuclear power unit using Canadian technology will be started in 2018 and a million KW Hualong No. 1 pressurized water reactor nuclear power unit will be started in 2020.
In December 2019, Fernandez officially took office as president of Argentina. Since then, the country has sought to take the lead in starting nuclear power plants using Chinese technology.
According to the information disclosed by the Argentine Embassy in China in April 2021, relevant leaders of the energy departments of Argentina and China held a video conference to further promote the construction process of Argentina’s fourth nuclear power plant. Dario Martinez, Secretary of state for energy of Argentina, said at the meeting that the fourth nuclear power plant project has fully received the strong support of President Fernandez of Argentina and has been included in the list of priority cooperation projects between China and Argentina. The source said that the “atucha 3” project is a nuclear power plant using Chinese technology “Hualong 1”. The project is located in the atucha nuclear power plant in Lima City, Buenos Aires Province. The project financing will be undertaken by the Bank Of China Limited(601988) group led by China Industrial And Commercial Bank Of China Limited(601398) , with a loan amount of about US $8 billion, which will cover 85% of the cost of the nuclear power unit. The project is expected to provide more than 7000 direct jobs.
In June 2021, the Argentine government issued the “Argentine nuclear power action plan”, and the construction of the fourth nuclear power plant project has become an integral part of the plan. In an interview with PERFIL daily in August last year, Antunes, President of Argentine nuclear power company, said that the construction of Hualong No. 1 unit will start at the atucha plant site as soon as 2022. He revealed that the previous plan of Argentine nuclear power company was to build a new heavy water reactor in artucha with the support of China, and now the schedule for the construction of hualong-1 pressurized water reactor nuclear power unit has been advanced. The site selection of the new CANDU heavy water reactor project has not been determined, and may be at or near the atucha plant site.
According to the news released by CNNC on February 1, the Chinese Embassy in Argentina, relevant Argentine government departments and enterprise institutions, China National Atomic Energy Agency, Export Import Bank of China and China Development Bank; CNNC general affairs department, strategic planning department, safety and environmental protection department, operation management department, finance department, industrial development and international cooperation department, audit and legal department, as well as relevant persons in charge of China Atomic Energy Corporation, China Nuclear Engineering & Construction Corporation Limited(601611) , China Nuclear Engineering, Nuclear Power Institute, China Central Plains and so on.
