Argentina’s National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA – Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica) and the Peruvian Institute of Nuclear Energy (IPEN – Instituto Peruano de Energía Nuclear) have signed an agreement extending cooperation in the field of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. The agreement seeks to strengthen technical exchange in the field of nuclear science and technologies and reaffirms the commitment of CNEA and IPEN to use nuclear energy as an engine of development in various fields, such as health, agriculture and scientific research.
“Argentina maintains a deep and historical relationship with Peru, which also extends to the nuclear field. A significant milestone of this collaboration was the construction, by our country, of the RP-10 research reactor, located on the outskirts of Lima. Since then, we have had a fruitful exchange, especially in human resource training and technical cooperation”, said CNEA head Germán Guido Lavalle. “The agreement we have just signed renews and projects this cooperative relationship towards the challenges of the coming years.”
Argentina and Peru signed an agreement in 1968 on cooperation in the field of peaceful uses of nuclear energy”, which allowed the development of joint projects. This saw Argentina export to Peru two research reactors designed by Argentine state-owned Applied Research Company INVAP and CNEA. In 1978, the RP-0 was commissioned at IPEN headquarters followed in 1989 by the RP-10 (10MWt pool-type reactor), which was inaugurated at the Oscar Miroquesada de la Guerra Nuclear Centre, in Huarangal, Lima.
The RP-10 is mainly used for scientific research and the production of radioisotopes including Technetium-99M, Iodine-131, Iridium-192 and Samarium-153. In 2014, Argentina won the tender to provide fuel to the RP-10 in accordance with a joint proposal presented by INVAP and CNEA.
Peru is exploring the potential of nuclear energy, including Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), as part of its energy diversification strategy. A working group has been established to develop a roadmap for potential nuclear power deployment.
INVAP has built several research reactors for Argentina and has also exported research reactors to Algeria, Egypt, and Australia. It is participating in the construction of a research reactor in Brazil and has also won the tender to supply a reactor to the Netherlands.
