Atucha 2 Dry Storage Facility Equipment Undergoing Testing
Testing Underway for Atucha 2 Dry Storage
Testing is in progress for equipment destined for the Almacenamiento en Seco de Combustibles Gastados de Atucha II (ASECG II) facility. This dry storage solution is considered essential for the continued long-term operation of the Atucha 2 nuclear power plant. The facility is designed to safely and securely store up to 50,000 used fuel elements on the plant site. A key feature of the ASECG II is its passive ventilation system, which is engineered to maintain the temperature of the fuel elements within safe parameters without requiring external electricity or human intervention.
Used nuclear fuel is typically stored underwater for a minimum of five years, and often for much longer periods, to allow for cooling and a reduction in radiation emissions. Projections indicate that the cooling ponds at Atucha 2 are expected to reach full capacity by the end of next year. The new dry storage facility is therefore necessary to ensure the plant's ongoing operational capability.
Among the equipment currently being tested is a gantry crane. This crane is critical for the safe and precise movement of containers within the storage facility. The gantry crane was developed by IMPSA, based on technical specifications provided by Nucleoelectrica, and was delivered at the end of 2025. Its installation and commissioning are scheduled to take place over a four-month period. A similar dry fuel storage facility for the Atucha 1 nuclear power plant commenced operations in 2022, designed to store fuel assemblies from its pressurized heavy water reactor.
Atucha 2 Operational Background
Atucha 2 is a 693 MWe pressurized heavy water reactor, originally ordered in 1979. The plant's design, a larger version of the Atucha 1 unit, was provided by Siemens. Construction began in 1981 as a joint venture between Argentina's National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA) and Germany's Siemens-Kraftwerk Union. However, progress was slow due to funding constraints, leading to a suspension of work in 1994 when the plant was 81% complete.
In 1994, Nucleoeléctrica Argentina was established to assume responsibility for the country's nuclear power plants from CNEA and to oversee the completion of Atucha 2. Plans for the plant's completion were presented to the government in 2003. In August 2006, the government announced a strategic plan for the national nuclear power sector, which included the completion of Atucha 2. The unit was effectively completed in September 2011, achieved first criticality in early June 2014, connected to the grid later that month, and reached full power in February 2015. In May of the current year, the Autoridad Regulatoria Nuclear granted a renewed 10-year operating license for Atucha 2, extending its operational period until May 2036.