Embalse nuclear power plant

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Embalse nuclear power plant (Spanish: Central Nuclear Embalse) is one of the two operational nuclear power plants in Argentina. It is located on the southern shore of a reservoir on the Río Tercero, near the city of Embalse, province of Córdoba, 110 km south-west of Córdoba City.

The plant is a CANDU Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR). It employs natural uranium (that is, with 0.72% of 235U), with heavy water for refrigeration and moderation. It has a thermal power of 2,109 MWth, and generates 648 MWe of electricity, with a net output of about 600 MWe, supplying nearly 4.5% of the production of the Argentine Interconnection System (2005).

Additionally, Embalse produces the cobalt-60 radioisotope, which is employed in medicine (cancer therapy) and industrial applications. Argentina is one of the largest producers and exporters of this isotope in the world, along with Canada and Russia.

Embalse was started in 1974 and began operation in 1984. It was built by an Italian-Canadian consortium formed by AECL and Italimpianti.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

Energy in Argentina

Electric power · Enarsa · INVAP · Hydroelectric plants
Yaciretá · El Chocón · Cerros Colorados
CNEA · Atucha I · Atucha II · Embalse
2004 energy crisis · 2006 nuclear reactivation plan

In other languages