No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeBoliviaBolivia announces plans for nuclear research complex

Bolivia announces plans for nuclear research complex

LA PAZ, Bolivia — Bolivia announced plans Thursday to build a $300 million nuclear complex, including a research reactor, with Russian technology and help from Argentina.

President Evo Morales told reporters the center will include a cyclotron for radiopharmaeuticals, a multi-purpose gamma irradiation plant and a research reactor.

The project has drawn criticism from opposition politicians and raised public fears over the environmental impacts of the project.

But Morales insisted, “It poses no risk to humans or to Mother Earth.”

“It doesn’t contaminate the ground, nor water, nor air.”

The government initially planned to establish the research complex on the outskirts of La Paz, but protests by residents of the area last month scrapped that plan.

The government now plans to build the complex on a 20 hectare (50 acre) site in Los Altos, an industrial city adjoining La Paz.

Bolivia signed an accord earlier this month with the Russian state company Rosatom to support the project.

Bolivia has previously signed nuclear agreements with France and Argentina, and the International Atomic Energy Agency has said it will help the Bolivians establish world-class security standards.

In October 2010, Morales announced agreements with Iran to use its technology to build a nuclear power plant in Bolivia, but nothing has been said publicly about it since.

Trending Now

Retired Nicaraguan Army Captain Sentenced to 50 Years for Treason

A retired military officer was sentenced to 50 years in prison in Nicaragua for the crime of "treason against the homeland," his family denounced...

Former Costa Rican Minister Arrested for Drug Trafficking, Faces U.S. Extradition

Costa Rica’s judicial police arrested Celso Gamboa, a former security minister and Supreme Court judge, on Monday, following a U.S. request for his extradition...

Prisma Dental in Costa Rica Keeps Customers Happy and Smiling

I am 81 years old and have had teeth removed, bridges, and cavities fixed several times to sustain my ability to eat and function....

Climate Change in Costa Rica Devastates Coffee Farms in Los Santos

In Costa Rica’s Los Santos region, famous for producing nearly half the country’s coffee, farmers are reeling from heavy losses driven by wild weather....

Life After MS-13 in El Salvador as Residents Seek a Fragile Peace

Esperanza Martinez lost three relatives who were murdered and saw numerous bodies left in the streets of her neighborhood, a former stronghold of the...

Costa Rica Surf Film Festival Honors ‘Pura Vida Bodysurfing’ with Top Audience Award

Pura Vida Bodysurfing is an award-winning short film that strips surfing back to its essence—riding waves without a surfboard. Filmed across Costa Rica’s legendary...
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica