In meetings with IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei this week, Argentina´s Minister of Federal Planning, Public Investment and Services, Dr. Julio de Vido, said that construction is planned to resume on the country´s Atucha-2 nuclear power plant.
Construction on the plant began in 1981, but work was halted in the 1990s. Argentina presently has two operating nuclear power plants that together produce about 9% of the country´s energy. Completing the Atucha plant is expected to help ease Argentina´s energy needs.
Dr. ElBaradei said that the IAEA is exploring possibilities with Argentine authorities for the Agency´s technical cooperation and assistance during the plant´s completion period, which is expected to take about four years.
Argentina is a contracting party to the international Convention on Nuclear Safety, which is under IAEA auspices. Parties to the convention are concluding a review meeting at the IAEA in Vienna 22 April, 2005.