Nuclear Power Argentina (NaSa) will tender this Tuesday the second tranche of the trust Solidarity Financing of Public Infrastructure NASA IVdestined to the collection of funds for the financing of two energy infrastructure works to extend the useful life of Atucha I and the construction of the second dry storage of spent fuel elements of the nuclear power plant.
The works are two strategic projects to expand the energy matrix, promote the development of the national industry and the technological capacities of the country, as well as contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, since nuclear energy generation is free of CO2 emissions.
On this occasion, the tender will be open only to qualified investors. The first tranche of the trust has already been tendered and offers were received for more than $30 million. as far as he could tell Ambitin that second round they hope to win at least an additional $80 million.
This is not the first time that Nuclear Power Argentina He goes out to raise funds. On other occasions, it implemented similar financing elements, such as the trusts for the completion of the Atucha II Nuclear Power Plant and the extension of the life of Embalse, the other nuclear power plant that also operates NaSa.
On this occasion, the trust is backed by the remuneration contract that Nucleoeléctrica maintains with CAMMESA for the sale of the generated energy, and represents the possibility of investing in a strategic infrastructure project for the country.
How is the Trust for Atucha I?
The trust is made up of securities in pesos issued under the “linked dollar” modality, which are adjusted according to the movements of the official exchange rate, and has a fixed interest rate of 5%.
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The tender has a minimum investment limit of $100but the integration and the interest and principal payments will be in pesos at the applicable exchange rate, and its instrumentation is subject to the approval of the National Securities Commission (CNV).
From NaSa they clarified that the titles were qualified as “Bonds Linked to Sustainability”due to its financial and structural characteristics, which are adjusted according to how Nucleoeléctrica manages to achieve the defined sustainability objectives.
Who can invest in Argentine nuclear energy?
The possibility of investing in financing is open to the public. To do so, it is necessary to have a principal account that allows trading negotiable securities in one of the placement issuing entities: Banco Nación Bursátil, Banco Provincia or Banco Macro.
What is Atucha II?
Construction of the Atucha I Nuclear Power Plant began in June 1968 and became the first nuclear power plant in Latin America, when it was connected to the National Electric System in March 1974.
Although it is the first Argentine plant, all its security systems were updated and comply with local and international requirements.
Currently, the electricity it produces covers the consumption of almost one million people.
What is the Atucha I life extension for?
The operating license for Atucha I issued by the Nuclear Regulatory Authority will end in 2024, marking the end of its first useful life cycle. For this reason, studies were carried out to evaluate the life extension project, which concluded that Atucha I could generate clean and safe energy for two more decades.
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The reconditioning stop will last two years to be developed between 2024 and 2026 and will imply the creation of 2,000 direct and 1,000 indirect jobsas well as the generation of opportunities for national suppliers for the tasks of construction and manufacture of components.
This work will make it possible to maintain the installed nuclear power, even increasing it from 362 MW to 370 MW, and thus avoid the emission of more than one million tons of CO2 per year.
What is the Spent Fuel Elements Dry Storage Project (ASECG II) about?
The continuous operation of nuclear power plants requires increasing the storage capacity of spent fuel elements, for which the construction of a new repository is planned. For this reason, the Dry Storage of Spent Fuel Elements exists for nuclear power plants.
In this case, the work will start in 2023 and end in 2026 with an estimated cost of US$137 million.
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The development of the complete engineering of the project is 100% Argentine and 90% of the goods and services will be national. This work will increase the development of the country’s technological and industrial capabilities with the potential to be exportable in the near future.
In mid-2022, Nucleoeléctrica completed the work on the Dry Storage of Spent Fuel Elements at the Atucha I Nuclear Power Plant (ASECG I), a key engineering project for the continuity of operation of this facility. Now comes the second part.
What is Nucleoeléctrica Argentina SA?
It is the company that produces electricity through the operation of the Atucha I, Atucha II and Embalse power plants. The total installed capacity of its three plants is 1,763 MW.
In addition to operating the plants and marketing the energy produced in the Wholesale Electricity Market (MEM), NaSa is in charge of managing projects that ensure the safe and reliable operation of its facilities, as well as those whose objective is the eventual construction of future nuclear power plants in national territory.
Nucleoeléctrica’s activities are subject to the highest safety standards and are supervised through rigorous national and international controls. Nuclear energy contributes to caring for the environment due to its competitiveness and reduction of CO2 emissions. This energy source does not generate gases or particles that cause the greenhouse effect in its production process, which helps to combat one of the main causes of climate change.
Source: Ambito
