Nuclear: Brazil and Argentina Ready to Create Binational Nuclear Agency

August 29/2008

Brazil and Argentina are intent on addressing the creation of a binational nuclear energy agency when presidents Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, from Argentina and Brazil respectively, meet next month in Recife, the capital of the Brazilian northeastern state of Pernambuco.
"It would be far more efficient to establish a broad binational agency which not only was involved in uranium enrichment but also in other opportunities and needs for both countries and the wider South American market in the fields of health, agriculture and pharmaceuticals," Alfredo Tranjan Filho, president of Brazil's Nuclear Industries is quoted in the conservative daily O Estado de S. Paulo.
The agency could become one of the world's leading providers of enriched uranium which is one of the objectives of the Brazilian government added Tranjan. The agency is being created, however, with a restriction: Argentina will not get Brazil's technology of enriching uranium by centrifugation.
Besides plans from Chile, Uruguay, Peru and Venezuela to set up nuclear plants, Argentina has two in operation, is finishing a third, Atucha II, and is planning to build two more.
Brazil has Angra I, Angra II, is planning Angra III and six more by 2030, revealed the Brazilian official.
The binational nuclear agency is one of 17 agreements reached in the recent meeting by presidents Kirchner and Lula when the Coben (Comitê Binacional de Energia Nuclear - Binational Nuclear Energy Committee) was announced.
However Coben does not have the full support of the Brazilian establishment, particularly from the Brazilian Navy which for years has been working in the development of a nuclear powered submersible and allegedly is very jealous of its expertise and experience.

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