Basic HTML Version
capacity by the end of the cen–
tury, which will account for at
least 15 percent of the country's
total energy output. The Argen–
tine object ive is to reduce or
eliminate, if possible, its reliance
on oil for the production of elec–
trical energy.
The deal, as in the case of
Brazil , was concluded with the
We st Germa n K r a ft werke
Union.
Argentina currently has one
reactor in operation, a nd another
slated to come into service in
1982 (see box).
Heavy Wat er Plant
Argentina a lso signed a $33 mil–
lion contract early this year to
purc hase a n industria l heavy
water pla nt from Switzerla nd's
Sulzer Brothcrs, Ltd. (see box) .
The heavy water plant is consid–
ered a vital element in Argenti–
na's nuclear master plan.
Washington, howcver, fears
the heavy-water deal will greatly
enhance Argentina 's ability to
produce nuclear weapons. Twice
during the week in which the
contract was signed, Argentina
indicated an "unnamed foreign
power" had tr ied to block the
deal on the grounds that it might
eventually result in the develop–
ment of nuclear weapons.
Further worrying anxious U.S.
officia ls, Argentina also plans to
build a n exper imenta l plutonium
reprocessing plant in the early
1980s. Full-scale reprocessing is
being cont e mpl a ted for the
1990s.
Sorne critics c harge that plu–
tonium reprocessing is not eco–
nomically viable for Argentina
in the foreseeable future. This
has led observers to suggest that
the decision to move into pluto–
nium extraction is more political
a nd mili ta ry than economic.
Even an experimental reprocess–
ing plant could produce enough
fissiona ble material fo r a nu–
clear weapon.
Washington Foiled
"1
don't think the United States
doubts our peaceful intentions,"
18
comments Admira! Carlos Castro
Madero, president of Argentina's
CNEA. " But they belicve tha t all
production of plutonium is equiv–
alen! to a rms proliferation ."
Admira! Castro Madero main–
tains that for Argentina, nuclear
reprocessing could become a n
important and economical energy
alternative, and his nation does
not want to forfeit the r ight to
take advantage of it.
In response to Argentina's
move into arcas of nuclear tech–
nology which the United States
considers "sensitive," Washing–
ton has threatened to withhold
sh ipments of enriched uranium to
Argentina. Such threats, howev–
er, fall on deaf ears. As men–
tioned earlier, Argentina's nu–
clear plants operate on easily
obtainable natu r a l uranium.
What little enriched uranium is
currently needed by Argentina
for research plants and experi–
mental reactors can be acqui red
from the Soviet Union , among
other suppliers.
Argentina sells about a million
tons of wheat and substantia l
quantities of other grains a nd
meat to Russia eacb year, but
imports few Russian goods. The
import into Argentina of en–
riched uranium and related prod–
ucts could help to balance the
trade ledgers.
Last March, a high-ra nking
Argentine econom ic mission
visited Moscow for ta lks on sub–
jects including scientifu c ex–
changes and cooperation in thc
field of atomic energy. A follow–
up Russian mission to Buenos
Aires in April continu ed the
talks.
Despite the fact that the Ar–
gentine foreign ministry has re–
peatedly a ffirmed the country's
desire to continue using nuclear
energy fo r peaceful purposes,
American CIA a nalysts continue
to predict that Argentina could
possess nuclear armaments by
the mid-1980s.
A s tatement by Admira! Cas–
t ro Madero that Argentina will
not sign the Nuclear Non-Prol if–
eration Treaty (NPT), claiming
it discrimina tes against nations
that ·do not have nuclear weap–
ons, has done little to a llay such
fea rs. (Brazil, too, has refused to
sign the treaty.)
Mexico Looks Ahead
Significantly, Argentina is soon
lo sign an agreement with Brazi l
to form a consortium to offer
nuclear systems to the rest of
Latín America. This will present
Latín American nations with a n
att ractive a lternative to U.S. sup–
pliers and accompanying Ameri–
can restrictions. Mexico, Chile
a nd Peru have already expressed
interest.
Despite its huge oil reserves,
the Mexican government views
nuclear power as vitally impor–
tant to industria l growth plans.
Consumption of electric power
in Mexico is g rowing faster than
that o f energy as a whole.
N uclear experts in Mexico pro–
ject that by the year 2000, hydro–
electric, geothermal a nd coal–
fired thermoelectric power sta–
tions will satisfy only about 40 to
45 percent of Mexico's demand.
The rest will have to come from
oil- a nd gas-fired stations a nd
from nuclear power.
They calculate that for every
1,000 megawatts of nuclear
power that is not installed by the
year 2000, 12 million barreis of
oi l a yea r will have to be burned.
Conseque ntly, Mexico is pushing
a head with its nuclear develop–
ment pla ns (see box).
Mexico's first two reactors are
designed to burn enriched ura ni–
um. Mexico currently has no ura–
nium enrichment plant of its own.
The possibility of eventua lly ac–
quiring one is under study by the
Comisión Federal de Electrici–
dad . Such a plant would cost over
U.S.$8 bill ion, possibly prohibi–
tive a t this time.
The al te rnative of reactors
fueled by natu ral uranium–
such ás those being supplied to
Argentina by Wes t Germany
and Canada-is also being stud–
ied in Mexico. This alternative
is now a ll the more attract ive,
(Continued on page 28)
The
PLAIN TRUTH