Carem, el reactor nuclear modular entre los más avanzados del mundo | Sol Pedre | TEDxBariloche

Quick Overview

Sol Pedre, who joined the nuclear sector in 2013 as a recent PhD graduate, describes her journey of leading the Argentine nuclear power program, emphasizing that the country's nuclear energy approach, focused on small and modular reactors like Carem, provides energy independence, generates high-quality jobs, and is financially viable, despite the initial challenges and the general trend of abandoning such projects globally.

Key Points: The Argentine nuclear sector began developing the Carem reactor on Isla Huemul in the 1940s as an ultra-secret nuclear project. The first Argentine power reactor, Atucha I, went online in 1982, 15 years after the world's first nuclear reactor, and it was designed to produce energy with very little greenhouse gas emission. Argentina's nuclear power currently supplies 8% of its electricity, generated by two operating power reactors (Atucha I and Embalse) and one under construction (Atucha III). The Carem reactor is small and modular, making its investment cost triple the initial investment of a large plant, yet its components can be manufactured domestically, supporting national industry. Pedre took over leadership of the project in 2013, shortly after the pandemic, facing the challenge of managing teams and resources when many international peers were abandoning similar projects. The speaker believes that pursuing nuclear energy projects, like Carem, is worthwhile both personally and collectively because it supports national sovereignty and creates high-skilled jobs. The speaker notes that even global figures like Bill Gates and Elon Musk have their own small, modular reactor designs for powering data centers.

Context: Sol Pedre, speaking at TEDxBariloche, narrates her personal and professional journey within Argentina's nuclear energy sector, focusing specifically on the development of the Carem reactor, a small, modular reactor project initiated decades ago. She frames this endeavor within the context of Argentina's broader history of nuclear energy development, contrasting the country's sustained commitment with global trends where similar projects have stalled, especially amidst climate change concerns.