goingcritical:carem-25Argentina · SMR
CAREM-25
Status: Under construction Reactor status full glossary → Announced Publicly announced — a site and design are proposed, but construction has not begun. Site preparation Early site and civil works are under way; the first safety-related ("nuclear") concrete has not yet been poured. Under construction Formal construction has begun, marked by the first nuclear concrete. Fuel loaded Nuclear fuel has been loaded into the core. The reactor is fuelled but has not yet gone critical. Critical Has reached first criticality — a self-sustaining chain reaction, usually at low power — but is not yet connected to the grid. Grid connected Synchronised to the electrical grid and exporting power for the first time, but still in commissioning and power-ascension testing — not yet in commercial service. In commercial operation — the operator has formally declared the unit in regular commercial service. Shut down Permanently shut down and no longer generating; may be defuelled, undergoing decommissioning, or preserved in place. Canceled Abandoned before completion.
Site: Lima, Buenos Aires Province (adjacent to Atucha)
Argentina's domestically designed small modular reactor, one of the first SMRs to begin construction worldwide
Construction halted since 2024 amid CNEA budget cuts and contractor layoffs; civil works ~85% complete. Pre-stoppage target was 2028 startup; no official restart date.
Details
| Design | CAREM integral PWR (natural circulation) |
| Electrical output | 25 MWe |
Milestone history
- Announced —
- Construction start February 2014
- Fuel load —
- First criticality —
- Grid connection —
- Commercial operation —