Argentina · -33.967, -59.209Atucha
Atucha, nuclear power plant in Argentina, operates one pressurized heavy water reactor with 688 MW net installed capacity and has been in service since 1974. One more unit has its operation suspended.
It is the highest-capacity nuclear plant in Argentina. Unit Atucha 1 has been operating for 52 years, since 1974. CAREM is under construction.
- Country
- Argentina
- Units
- 4
- Technology
- PHWR · PWR
- Net capacity
- 688 MWe
- First grid connection
- 1974
- Operator
- Nucleoelectrica Argentina · Comision Nacional De Energia Atomica
- Owner
- Nucleoelectrica Argentina SA · China National Nuclear Corp · Comision Nacional De Energia Atomica
- Status
- Operating
See also: alerts for this plant · every plant in Argentina · Vendor: Siemens / Kraftwerk Union · every PHWR reactor · how a PHWR works · every PWR reactor · how a PWR works
Units
| Unit | Type | Model | Status | MWe | MWt | Construction start | Grid connection | Closure | Load factor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atucha 1 | Pressurized heavy water (PHWR · Siemens-KWU) | Siemens-KWU (PHWR KWU) | Offline for life extension | 335 | 1,179 | May 31, 1968 | Mar 19, 1974 | — | 68.8 % (2024) |
| Atucha 2 | Pressurized heavy water (PHWR · Siemens-KWU) | Siemens-KWU (PHWR KWU) | Operating | 688 | 2,160 | Jul 13, 1981 | Jun 27, 2014 | — | 67.5 % (2024) |
| Atucha 3 | Pressurized water (PWR) | Hualong One | Planned | 1,200 | — | — | — | — | — |
| CAREM | Pressurized water (PWR) | CAREM Prototyp | Under construction | 25 | 100 | Aug 2015 | — | — | — |
Data: IAEA PRIS · Wikipedia · editorial review · updated on Sep 21, 2026
Atucha 1, a 335 MWe PHWR (Siemens-KWU (PHWR KWU)), started construction in 1968, was connected to the grid in 1974 and is currently suspended.
Atucha 2, a 688 MWe PHWR (Siemens-KWU (PHWR KWU)), started construction in 1981, was connected to the grid in 2014 and is still operating, with a 67.6% load factor in 2024.
Atucha 3, a 1,200 MWe PWR (Hualong One), is planned.
CAREM, a 25 MWe PWR (CAREM Prototyp), has been under construction since 2015.
Operator: Nucleoelectrica Argentina (Atucha 1, Atucha 2, Atucha 3) · Comision Nacional De Energia Atomica (CAREM).
Owner: Nucleoelectrica Argentina SA (Atucha 1, Atucha 2) · China National Nuclear Corp (Atucha 3).