MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina refuses to inform Paraguay on a nuclear reactor it is planning along the border

Cristina Fernandez refuses information arguing it does not recognize the government of President Franco

The administration of President Cristina Fernandez rejected a request from Paraguay on the nuclear plant, and area of influence, Argentina plans to build in the neighbouring province of Formosa. The situation was exposed by Paraguayan lawmaker Olga Ferreira de Lopez who called the Argentine president a ‘perverse woman’.

“The Argentine president has refused to answer the formal request through diplomatic channels about the nuclear plant our neighbours are planning to build in Formosa, just across our borders. Apparently she refuses to give any consideration to the request because Argentina does not recognize the government of President Federico Franco”.

The lawmaker recalled that the current Paraguayan administration does not favour the building of a nuclear plant so close to the border and which will have the capital, Asuncion in the potential area of influence in the event of any accident.

“Here we are in the door of an imminent latent danger and this perverse woman ignores the concerns of a whole nation and then preaches about unity and respect among peoples. I strongly repudiate this woman abusive of human rights”, said Olga Ferreira de Lopez.

Three weeks ago the Paraguayan government sent Argentina a formal letter requesting information on the nuclear reactor. A copy of the letter was later addressed to Yukiya Amano, head of the UN International Atomic Energy Organization.

According to the limited information available the CAREM reactor (Argentine Centre of Modular Elements) could be low power, probably 25 MW with a state of the art design, and is fuelled with uranium oxide very similar to what is fed to Argentina’s two main operational atomic plants of Atucha and Embalse.

Over half of Argentina’s electricity is gas generated but nuclear is anywhere from 4.7% to 7.5%. Argentina is also the country most advanced in nuclear energy development in Latinamerica going back to the fifties.