Bolivian President Luis Arce proudly proclaimed that with the Aug. 13 arrival of the pressure vessel for the nuclear research reactor to be housed at the Nuclear Technology Research and Development Center (CIDTN), being built in the city of El Alto, Bolivia is “advancing along the path of development, science and technology as a dignified and sovereign nation.” The research reactor is one of four components of the CIDTN being built by the Russian nuclear energy firm Rosatom and the Bolivian Nuclear Energy Agency (ABEN). This innovative project is located at 4,000 meters above sea level, making it unique.
To date, construction on the first two phases of the CIDTN have been completed: the Cyclotron Radiopharmacy-Preclinics Complex (CRPC) and the Multipurpose Irradiation Center (MIC). Phases 3 and 4 include the research reactor complex and laboratory buildings, whose construction is continuing. According to Kirill Komarov, Rosatom’s First Deputy Director, the cyclotron is fully operational and “has significantly expanded the capacity of Bolivian healthcare, providing it with state-of-the-art radiopharmaceuticals. We are happy to see that the project is already benefiting Bolivians, and we will keep it running actively.”
In April of this year, RIAR JSC, a subdivision of Rosatom’s science division, completed the test assembly of the 200 KW research reactor, which will be shipped to Bolivia and installed at CIDTN later this year. The research reactor will produce radioisotopes for research in many different areas, including training students in nuclear professions.
