The present National Report describes the actions taken in Argentina on the safety of spent fuel
(SF) management and on the safety of radioactive waste (RW) management, in order to provide
evidence of the fulfilment of the obligations derived from the Joint Convention. To facilitate the
reading and a better understanding, it has been decided to include a summary of those parts of
the two prior National Reports that are considered necessary in order to comply with this
objective.
The uses and applications of nuclear energy began in Argentina in 1950, the year the National
Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA) has been created, initially developing the research and
development activities in basic areas. In the following years progress has been made with the
development of nuclear technology, the operation of relevant facilities working on the
production of radioisotopes for medical and industrial applications and the performance of tasks
in connection with the nuclear fuel cycle, including mining and uranium processing activities,
manufacturing of fuel elements for research and power reactors, production of heavy water and
the operation of two nuclear power plants. In the past, reprocessing programs were undertaken at
demonstrative scale.
