DOI
10.22191/BUUJ/10/2/12
Faculty Sponsor
Dr. Nancy Appelbaum
Abstract
Since 1949 Argentina has developed nuclear power plants (NPPs), overcoming political instability and financial barriers, to eventually succeed in the activation of Latin America’s first nuclear power plant, Atucha-1, in 1974. However, given the ample means of electrical production though fossil fuels and hydroelectric power, NPPs in Argentina present a paradoxical means of electrical production. This paper analyzes the history of Argentina’s nuclear power program, from 1951-1978, in order to offer a more holistic understanding of why NPPs were developed. I argue that nuclear power in Argentina was motivated not by a desire for electrical generation or to manufacture nuclear weapons, but rather as a means to attain international legitimacy and autonomy. This approach, referred to as “atoms for agency” serves as a central theme in this paper.
First, this research looks to 1951, when Argentine President Juan Perón and Dr. Ronald Richter claimed they had achieved nuclear fusion. Although this announcement was ultimately disproven, it reveals that the core components of “atoms for agency,” international legitimacy and autonomy, existed even in the earliest days of Argentina’s nuclear power program. Subsequently, the progression of nuclear power plants during the 1960s reinforces the claim of Argentina’s desire for “atoms for agency”. Bidding efforts for the construction of Atucha-1 granted Argentina international recognition, while simultaneously serving as a strategic method to obtain more a favorable financial deal. The ultimate decision to work with Siemens AG, a German company, and the terms of this deal speak to Argentina’s utilization of nuclear power as a means to secure autonomy. However, the reactor design of Atucha-1 and the overall path of Argentina’s nuclear power program brought with them an increased level of scrutiny by the United States in the 1970s. Under the Carter Administration, the United States (US) engaged in a variety of diplomatic measures to influence Argentine ratification the Treaty of Tlatelolco, a nuclear non-proliferation treaty. The ultimate failure of the US to achieve this goal, and Argentine resistance towards ratification, further reinforce the claim that nuclear power served to offer Argentina international legitimacy and autonomy, otherwise known as “atoms for agency.”
Recommended Citation
Gressin, J. R. (2025). Atoms for Agency: How Argentina’s Pursuit of Nuclear Power Plants Represents International Legitimacy and Autonomy, 1951-1978.. Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.22191/BUUJ/10/2/12
Included in
History of Science, Technology, and Medicine Commons, Latin American History Commons, United States History Commons
