Background: Small modular reactors, explained: who is building them worldwide
Current state
| Status | Suspended |
| Design | CAREM-25 (PWR, SMR) |
| Net capacity | 25 MWe |
| Country | Argentina |
| Vendor | CNEA |
| Owner / operator | CNEA |
| Construction start | 2014-02 |
| Original COD target | — |
| Current COD estimate | — |
| Schedule slippage | — |
Notes
Status suspended (not cancelled): 2026 budget carries zero for CAREM; CNEA -58% real vs 2023. First-grid target contested — late 2027 (Reactor Atlas) vs 2028 per schedule valid to Dec 2023 (La Rosca); original COD target not recorded. Civil works 80% / total 65% at Dec 2023, US$600M+ invested (ex-officials via La Rosca). Site flooding and containment-liner oxidation per CNEA engineer testimony — single source, unconfirmed.
Milestone log
- 2026-06-16 — Listed as under construction in the WNA world table (source)
- 2025-03-01 — CNEA formally suspended construction to concentrate budget on engineering; preservation crew later cut from ~30 to ~7 (reported Jul-Aug 2026; exact suspension date unclear) (source)
- 2026-08-26 — Government confirms full paralyzation of civil works; 171 construction workers fired (140 UOCRA + 31 UECARA); dismissed workers blockade Route 9 at km 103 (source)
- 2026-09-25 — UOCRA demands President Milei reverse the halt; 600+ construction jobs at risk after indefinite strike earlier in September over mass firings (source)
The milestone log is append-only: corrections are recorded as new entries, never rewrites. Full history via /api/v1/changes.
NNN coverage
On the CAREM-25 design
Sources
- https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/current-and-future-generation/plans-for-new-reactors-worldwide
- https://pris.iaea.org/pris/
- https://reactoratlas.com/en/wiki/carem-25
- https://laroscadigital.com.ar/el-proyecto-carem-25-paralizacion-asignacion-presupuestaria-y-cambios-en-la-conduccion-estatal/