The new research and development center will be Bolivia’s first step into the world of nuclear technology and its first attempt at applying it in science, medicine, geology, agriculture and other areas. More specifically, the nuclear center will produce radioactive isotopes to be used for a variety of purposes, including cancer diagnostics and treatment, and increase availability of nuclear medicine for the Bolivians. Another application area of nuclear technology will be irradiation of foodstuffs and agricultural products to treat them against pests and bacteria, extend shelf life and set the scene for an increase in agricultural exports.
The nuclear center will have state-of-the-art equipment to carry out research under the national nuclear program thus contributing to the development of education and science in the country.
The construction project is unprecedented in the nuclear industry in terms of location. The site selected by Bolivia for the nuclear center is located in El Alto and is the highest ever (4,100 meters above the sea level) to build a nuclear facility.
The project was supported by the local community. We had a chance to talk to the locals during our visit to the site. “We want everything to be good here and protect this place,” explains Fortunato Niño Ramirez. Another member of the pubic patrol team, Eusebio Ticona Pae, says, “We are thankful to the government for the idea to build a nuclear center in our city because we understand how important it is for improving our life.”
They are sure that Rosatom’s nuclear center will change their life for the better. Ramirez says: “We know this place and want to work here. We will be glad if we – or at least our children and grandchildren – can be of any use here.” Our driver Carlos noted that no center would be constructed in El Alto if the locals had been against it. “People were consulted and explained what and what for this center is, and the idea was supported. I know little about atomic energy, but nuclear technology will definitely bring benefit to our community.”
“El Alto is a place where many changes have begun, and the nuclear center is yet another milestone for the city. Bolivia will make a huge step forward in the development of science!” said Bolivian President Evo Morales at the signing of the intergovernmental agreement.
“Hermanos y hermanas! Jilatanakakulyakanaka! Brothers and sisters!” Sergei Kirienko, CEO of the Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, greeted the people in Spanish and Aymara and received roaring applause. “I promise to the President and all of you that we will use our expertise and our knowledge to build here in El Alto the best and most up-to-date nuclear research center in Latin America and the world.”
Stand-alone market
The center will be built by Russian engineers, but Rosatom plans to engage local vendors to the maximum extent possible. The Bolivian contract has a historical importance for the Russian nuclear industry. The Soviet Union played a key role on the international market of research reactors, with over 130 reactors built inside and more than 20 facilities outside the country. The new project will bring Rosatom $300 million in revenue. The reactor will be developed by Dollezhal Research and Development Institute of Power Engineering (NIKIET) while ASE and NIAEP will act respectively as a general contractor and a general designer. Nuclear fuel will be supplied by TVEL, Rosatom’s fuel fabrication subsidiary; Izotop will deliver radiation sources for food irradiation; maintenance services will be provided by Rusatom Service. The list of Russian companies to be involved in the project is far from being complete.
Entry to the Bolivian market is Rosatom’s victory in Latin America and means new jobs and new quality of life for the people of Bolivia. This will be a starting point for the application of nuclear technology in national science, medicine, geology, agriculture and other areas. The country will independently produce radioisotopes to diagnose and treat cancer, thus improving access to advanced therapies. Irradiation will protect food and agricultural products from pests and bacteria, increase shelf life and facilitate exports. Rosatom is ready to help Bolivia with staff training. Five students have been selected to begin a training course at the Urals Federal University this year. This number will grow, with increasingly more trained professionals coming home each year.
“Bolivia will finance the project independently – we do not provide any subsidized loans,” Rosatom CEO stressed. “Today many countries launch their nuclear programs, beginning with construction of research centers. This is a stand-alone market worth billions of US dollars. That is why it is so important to make the best offer.” On the 10th of March the Bolivian Cabinet of Ministers issued a decree to establish a national atomic energy agency and authorize it to sign contracts related to the construction of the first nuclear research center.
FOR REFERENCE
The intergovernmental agreements were signed as a result of negotiations between Bolivian President Evo Morales and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the meeting held on the margins of the 3rd Gas Summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum organized in Tehran on 23 November 2015. The agreements provide for the construction of a nuclear research and technology center that will comprise a multi-purpose gamma irradiation facility, a 200 kW pool-type pressurized water research reactor, a cyclotron, auxiliary infrastructure and test laboratories.
The agreements establish a legal framework for cooperation between the two countries in the nuclear industry across a variety of areas, including assistance in creating national nuclear infrastructure, design and construction of research reactors, exploration and development of uranium deposits in Bolivia, nuclear fuel management services, nuclear waste disposal, nuclear safety and security, production of radionuclides and their application in industry, medicine and agriculture, and staff training for the Bolivian nuclear industry.
On 8 October 2015, Rosatom and Bolivia’s Ministry of Hydrocarbons and Energy signed a memorandum of understanding on peaceful uses of nuclear power.
Ofelia Mamani Osco, a seamstress: “We thank our Evo and our brothers in El Alto for their support of the project!”
Hernan Chambi, a carpenter: “We are not rich people. We hope that the center will bring us real benefit and improve our life.”
OFFICIALS SPEAKING
Yuri Dragunov
CEO and Chief Designer, NIKIET
– Rosatom offers a broad range of research reactors, both in terms of technology and scope of research, with a capacity from tens of kilowatts to 20 megawatts. The reactor for Bolivia will have a capacity of 200 kW. Its key purpose will be production of medical isotopes. The construction process will take three or four years. We are now developing a reactor design. After that we will model processes, manufacture all the components and then move on to on-site installation, commissioning and operation.
Igor Tretyakov
Chief Designer, Research and Isotope Reactors, NIKIET
– Bolivia, which has just begun its way towards nuclear energy, has been offered a small-capacity reactor, though with extensive research functionality. Researchers can perform neutron activation analysis to study the composition of various substances. Another area is radiography, or analysis of the internal structure of elements. The reactor can also be used to produce isotopes. It offers numerous opportunities to study gases, liquids and soils. The reactor is easy to use – it is a pool-type natural-circulation reactor that needs no extra cooling solutions. The reactor will use Russian low-enriched fuel, which is compliant with all safety requirements and has long been used in other projects.
