Embalse Nuclear Power Station

Embalse Nuclear Power Station
Location of Embalse Nuclear Power Station
Official name Central Nuclear Embalse
Country Argentina
Coordinates 32°13′55″S 64°26′35″W / 32.232°S 64.443°W / -32.232; -64.443Coordinates: 32°13′55″S 64°26′35″W / 32.232°S 64.443°W / -32.232; -64.443
Status Renovating
Construction began 1974
Commission date January 20, 1984
Operator(s) Nucleoeléctrica Argentina Sociedad Anónima
Nuclear power station
Reactor type PHWR
Reactor supplier CANDU
Power generation
Units operational 648 MW
Units under const. 683 MW
Thermal capacity 2,015 MWt
2009 output 5,192 GW·h
Website
www.candu.org/nasa.html

The Embalse Nuclear Power Station (Spanish: Central Nuclear Embalse) is one of the three 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, Córdoba, 110 km south-southwest of Córdoba City.

The plant is a CANDU Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR). It employs natural uranium (that is, with 0.72% of 235U), and uses heavy water for cooling and neutron 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,[1] along with Canada and Russia.

Embalse was started in 1974 and began operation in 1983 (first criticality March 13, 1983, declared commercial Jan 20 1984). It was built by an Italian-Canadian consortium formed by AECL, acting as the "turn-key" supplier of the nuclear portion, and Italimpianti, the "turn-key" supplier of the conventional portion.[2]

On 31 December 2015, the plant was taken offline, having completed its first operating cycle of about 30 years.

On 1 September 2016, the plant received the last two of four steam generators, fundamental elements for the life extension of the plant. The plant is being reconditioned to deliver power for another 30 years: the replacement of the four steam generators is one of the key steps. [3] The plant is expected to be offline until 2018[4] and will have a power uprate to a gross capacity of 683 MW.[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/non-power-nuclear-applications/radioisotopes-research/radioisotopes-in-medicine.aspx
  2. ↑ Brooks, Gord L. (2 December 2002). "A Short History of the CANDU Nuclear Power System" (PDF). canteach.candu.org. Retrieved 4 September 2016. p.18, In the case of the Cordoba (Argentina) project, AECL originally contracted to act as the "turn-key" supplier of the nuclear portion of the plant with its Italian partner, Italimpianti, acting as the "turn-key" supplier of the conventional portion.
  3. ↑ "Llegaron los dos últimos generadores de vapor para la Central Nuclear Embalse". canteach.candu.org (in Spanish). Nucleoeléctrica Argentina S.A. 1 September 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-09-03. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  4. ↑ "Embalse Nuclear Generating Station Life Extension". www.snclavalin.com. 13 April 2016. Archived from the original on 4 March 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  5. ↑ "Argentina’s Embalse Shuts Down For Major Refurbishment Programme". www.nucnet.org. 6 January 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2017.


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