Argentina nuclear policy sparks opposition to privatization of CNEA and CAREM project

The Argentine government announced a plan to shift the country’s nuclear sector toward private ownership, including the dismissal of staff at the National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA) and the sale of Nucleoelectrica Argentina. A private U.S. firm, Meitner Energy, is slated to build a modular reactor at Atucha with Argentine patents, while the CAREM small‑reactor project remains stalled.

Opposition lawmakers from the Unión por la Patria bloc denounced the move, calling it a paradigm shift that jeopardises decades of state‑built scientific and technological capacity. They demanded detailed information on Meitner Energy, the ownership of intellectual property, fiscal benefits, and the future of CAREM and other national assets. The debate highlights concerns over national sovereignty in nuclear technology and the preservation of public‑sector expertise.