VZCZCXYZ0014
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBU #1262 2541809
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 101809Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1988
INFO RHMFIUU/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 001262 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR ISN/NESS FOR DAN FENSTERMACHER 
DOE FOR DOE/NNSA/NA-212 FOR PARRISH STAPLES 
DOE ALSO FOR DOE/NNSA/NA-211 FOR RAYMOND GREENBERG JR. 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KNNP TRGY ENRG PARM AR
SUBJECT: CONVERSION OF ARGENTINA'S RA-6 RESEARCH REACTOR TO 
TAKE PLACE PRIOR TO END OF SEPTEMBER 
 
REF: STATE 83447 
 
¶1.  On September 8, ESTCouns met with Lic. Norma Boero, 
President of Argentina's National Energy Commission (CNEA by 
its Spanish acronym) to follow up on reftel demarche.  EST 
Couns delivered another copy of DOE Assistant Deputy 
Administrator Bieniawski's letter and discussed the 
invitation to the IAEA October meeting in Washington, as well 
as the conversion of Argentina's RA-6 reactor.  Boero could 
not yet confirm whether she would be able to attend the 
Washington meeting, but pledged she would do her utmost to 
re-arrange her travel schedule in order to do so.  ESTCouns 
will continue to press Boero for a decision as soon as 
possible on her attendance.  As for the RA-6 conversion, 
Boero was pleased to announce that the CNEA planned to meet 
this milestone on September 19 and delivered a letter to this 
effect, addressed to DOE's BienIawski.  Text of letter 
follows. 
 
¶2.  BEGIN TEXT OF LETTER 
 
Commission Nacional de Energia Atomica 
Buenos Aires, 8 de septiembre de 2008 
 
Dr. Andrew bieniawski 
Assistant Deputy Administrator For Global Threat Reduction 
DOE 
 
The Argentine Republic has established four milestones within 
the frame of the Reduced Enrichment for Research and Test 
Reactors (RERTR) international programme, created by the 
United States Department of Energy (US DOE), and according to 
the terms of the following Contracts:  Contract No 
DE-SC55-05NA25735 and No DE-GI55-05NA25738, both signed by 
the National Commission of Atomic Energy (CNEA, by its 
Spanish acronym) and the US DOE, by means of the National 
Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).  Said milestones are 
as follows: 
 
¶1.  Export campaign of High Enriched Uranium Fuel Plates 
formally fabricated for RA-2 Argentine reactor. 
¶2.  Export campaign of High Enriched Spent Fuel Elements (HEU 
FE) from RA-6 Argentine reactor to the United States of 
America. 
¶3.  Manufacture of new Low Enriched Fuel Elements (LEU FE) in 
Argentina which shall be received in RA-6 reactor. 
¶4.  Placing of the first LEU FE in the core of RA-6 reactor 
with the aim of fulfilling the last stage of the Facility 
Conversion to Low Enrichment Fuel Element Operating 
Facilities. 
 
Whereas the first stage was successfully achieved in July 
2006, the second one was achieved by the end of 2007, 
concluding with the storage of the above stated FE in the 
USA.  Subsequently, the fabrication of new LEU core was 
finished at the end of 2007, precisely in September of said 
year. 
 
Finally, at present, the CNEA is working hard in order to 
meet the last milestone, in other words, to begin with the 
core filling, which according to the internal schedule is to 
take place on September 19, 2008.  This task will complete 
the main objective of CNEA, that is, to transform all its 
facilities into facilities operating by means of Low Enriched 
Uranium.  Nevertheless, it is considered that RA-6 reactor 
will achieve criticality in November 2008.  This will 
demonstrate that CNEA has adhered to the acceptance programme 
of SNFFRR (Spent Nuclear Fuel of Foreign Research Reactor) 
and specially to the Reduced Environment for Research and 
Test Reactors (RERTR) programme. 
 
Lic. Norma L. Boero 
Presidenta 
 
END TEXT LETTER 
 
WAYNE