Argentina has hosted the fourth annual regional workshop for Latin America and the Caribbean for the US Foundational Infrastructure for the Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST) programme. The meeting was co-organised by the National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA – Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica) and the US State Department.
This was the first time Argentina has hosted this regional summit since it became the first country in Latin America to join the FIRST programme in 2025. The initiative received additional support from Global Affairs Canada. Delegations from nine regional countries including Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Jamaica, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, and the Dominican Republic joined international contributing partners from the US, Argentina, Canada, Japan, and the UK.
Technical panels and strategic discussions centred on non-electrical applications of small modular reactors (SMRs), technology selection frameworks, supply chain dynamics, and establishing infrastructure that satisfies international safety, security, and non-proliferation standards. International representatives and nuclear experts toured the Atucha Nuclear Complex to view Argentina’s established nuclear infrastructure and review regional integration possibilities.
The timing of the workshop aligns with a recent shift by the Argentine government toward nuclear export-oriented policies and foreign investment. During the event, Argentina’s Secretary of Nuclear Affairs, Federico, Ramos Napoli, and CNEA President Martín Porro highlighted Argentina’s 70 years of nuclear energy experience as a major strategic asset for anchoring SMR deployment across the Americas. The workshop also built on existing US-Argentina plans to finalise a successor bilateral civil nuclear cooperation agreement.
The opening of the conference was led by Argentina’s Secretary of Nuclear Affairs, Dr Federico Ramos Napoli; the US Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and Nonproliferation, Christopher Yeaw; and the political advisor of the Canadian Embassy, Jonathan Sauvé.
“The nuclear energy technologies of the United States and our partners in this room remain the safest and most advanced in the world, which is why we believe we are the partner of choice for countries looking to expand their civil nuclear programmes”, Yeaw said.
The FIRST programme is a capacity-building initiative launched by the US Department of State’s Bureau of International Security & Nonproliferation (ISN) and now operating under the Bureau of Arms Control and Nonproliferation (ACN). According to the State Department, ACN “executes the President’s America First Policy through a range of policies and targeted programs. The Bureau advances US national security by preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, their delivery systems, destabilising advanced conventional weapons, and related technologies. This includes protecting and promoting US technological leadership through export controls and expanding the peaceful uses of US nuclear technology”.
The core objectives of the FIRST programme are:
- Providing strategic guidance to countries exploring Small Modular Reactors (SMRs).
- Ensuring all nuclear expansion strictly aligns with international safety, security, and non-proliferation benchmarks.
- Deepening geopolitical, industry, and academic ties between the US and participating nations.
- Demonstrating how SMRs can pair with renewable grids or power heavy industries, hydrogen production, and water desalination.
The State Department delivers tailored training through a collaborative 10-module curriculum:
- Nuclear power integration in the national energy mix
- Stakeholder engagement and public communication
- Nuclear workforce development
- Site selection and initial engineering works
- Nuclear safety regulations and SMR licensing approaches
- Reactor technology selection criteria
- Funding frameworks and local supply chain localisation
- Physical security infrastructure
- Strict non-proliferation controls
- Spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste.
NEXT (Nuclear Expedited Transition is a sub-programme designed to bridge the gap between initial capacity-building and reactor deployment by providing project preparation support. The SPRING Initiative is a regional offshoot launched to facilitate fleet-scale deployment of SMRs in Europe and Eurasia by harmonising licensing and construction codes. While led by the US, the programme includes financial and technical backing from major international partners including Japan, Canada, the UK, Finland, and now Argentina.
While the official mission of the FIRST programme focuses on safety and clean energy infrastructure, the initiative is fundamentally a strategic instrument of US foreign policy. The primary political driver is pushback against the geopolitical leverage of America’s main competitors, namely Russia and China. Russia targets 20% of the global SMR market while China aims to export 30 reactors via its Belt and Road Initiative by 2030. By embedding Western standards into emerging economies early, the US aims to intercepts these state-owned pipelines.
FIRST acts as a diplomatic shield, building a pathway for neutral or Western-aligned tech to prevent partner countries from being absorbed into rival spheres of influence. The nation that supplies the reactor typically dictates the non-proliferation, safety, and security protocols of the host country. FIRST aims to ensure that the highest international standards – specifically those championed by the US and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) – become the universal baseline.
US and allied companies (such as Westinghouse, GE Vernova, NuScale, and Holtec) operate in free markets and cannot rely on direct state-backed financing like their Chinese or Russian competitors. By providing federally funded training, site analysis, and regulatory drafting, the US State Department actively shapes foreign markets to be ready, compatible, and receptive to purchasing commercial SMR designs from Western vendors.
