Established in 1950 the Comisi\u00f3n Nacional de Energ\u00eda At\u00f3mica stands before us. It began with a clear mission. That mission was to develop and control nuclear energy. This was all for peaceful purposes within Argentina.
President Juan Per\u00f3n officially created the CNEA. He aimed to fund the Huemul Project in Bariloche. Before the CNEA, the Direcci\u00f3n de Migraciones funded it. Initially, the CNEA had only four key members. These were Juan Domingo Per\u00f3n, Gonz\u00e1lez, Mend\u00e9 and Ronald Richter.
In 1951 another agency appeared. It was the Direcci\u00f3n Nacional de la Energ\u00eda At\u00f3mica DNEA. Gonz\u00e1lez also led this. Its purpose was atomic energy research in Buenos Aires. This lasted until 1955. After reviews in 1952, the Huemul Project closed. Richter was no longer a CNEA member. Physics and tech research continued in Bariloche. However, it strayed from Richter’s initial path.
Admiral Oscar Armando Quihillalt became the CNEA’s first director. He actively participated in the International Atomic Energy Agency. In 1955 Jos\u00e9 Antonio Balseiro took over the Instituto de F\u00edsica de Bariloche. It is now the Instituto Balseiro. He used Richter’s mainland facilities.
In 1956 Argentina nationalized its uranium resources. The CNEA controlled prospecting, production, and marketing. Argentina supplied about 90 tons of yellowcake to Israel. This fueled Israel’s Dimona reactor. It helped create materials for Israel’s first nuclear weapons.
After Huemul Project closure, Buenos Aires facilities expanded. By the 1960s, they surpassed Bariloche in size and expenditure. In 1957 the Constituyentes research center built Latin America’s first research reactor. It was the RA-1 Enrico Fermi.
Germany’s Siemens designed the 335-MWe Atucha I. It was completed in 1974. Canada’s CANDU designed the 600-MWe Embalse. It began commercial operation in 1984. In 1995 CNEA’s functions split into new organizations. The Nuclear Regulatory Authority ARN supervises nuclear safety. Nucleoel\u00e9ctrica Argentina NASA operates the two completed nuclear reactors. Today the CNEA focuses on nuclear and related technologies research and development.
In 2010 the CNEA reopened the Enriched uranium plant at Pilcaniyeu. It had been inaugurated in 1983. It closed in the 1990s. By 2014 the 692-MWe Atucha II, also a Siemens design, began operating next to Atucha I. Argentina now operates three pressurized heavy-water reactors PHWR. These use heavy water and natural uranium for electricity generation.
Also in 2014 the CNEA started building the world’s first small modular reactor SMR. It is the CAREM-25. This small 25 MWe pressurized water reactor PWR was designed and developed domestically.
In December 2015 a new uranium enrichment plant opened in Pilcaniyeu. It manufactures fuel for Argentina’s nuclear plants. The plant uses gaseous diffusion and laser techniques. The CNEA headquarters is in Buenos Aires. However, most activities occur at three other sites.
The Centro At\u00f3mico Constituyentes houses Latin America’s first nuclear reactor RA-1. It went critical in 1958. Researchers pioneered Argentina’s research reactors construction. They formed leading groups in metallurgy, physics, and chemistry.
The Centro At\u00f3mico Bariloche includes the Instituto Balseiro. It has trained physicists and nuclear engineers since 1955. The RA-6 reactor trains nuclear engineering students. It also conducts basic and applied research.
The Centro At\u00f3mico Ezeiza features the RA-3 reactor. It produces nuclear isotopes for medicine in Argentina and neighboring countries. The Instituto Beninson focuses on nuclear technologies applications.
The CNEA contributes significantly to Argentina’s technological and scientific landscape. It drives nuclear energy development. It promotes peaceful applications of nuclear technology. The CNEA remains committed to innovation. It contributes to Argentina’s growth and global standing in nuclear science.