The CAREM, a small NPP Project owned by the CNEA /1/ has been developed jointly by CNEA and INVAP 12/ The concept was bom by the 80,s when the idea was presented at LIMA, Peru, dunng an IAEA conference back in 1984 At that time, the Argentinean nuclear experience was several RR built (RA-O, RA-I, RA-2, RAO, RA-6, RP-0) several Projects on RR. an enrichment plant and the experience gained in the follow up of two NPP m operation (CNA-I and CNE) It was thought that the next step to reach the nuclear maturity should be to work in the design and construction of a NPP This development in a medium size economy and restricted financial resources should have a limited nsk and so the focus was addressed to small NPP In addition the NPP should be able to operate in isolated cities, a common situation in Argentina That meant reduced ability to obtain help in operational incidcnts/accidents by the operating personnel, reduced industrial/ technical resources in the site, long distances from fully developed areas, reduced roads and transportation capacities And being the first domestic NPP, it was also considered convenient to work in an electrical plant with a small output when connected to the national electric network Similar conditions could be find in a good number of countries

The above mentioned critenum developed in the CAREM technical characteristics i e a LWR, with Integrated Primary System and extensive use of the so called passive systems (e g natural circulation cooling)

Fixed arbitranously the power in 15 Mwe, a R&D program was started and so the construction of a thermalhydrauhc lab and a critical facility

At present the work is addressed to the 25 Mwe but a new version of 100 Mwe is also foreseen

1.1. Organisation

CNEA has subcontracted the engineering of the CAREM to INVAP However by itself is working on the development of the Tuel Elements and in part of the nuclear instrumentation The follow up activities on the CAREM Project arc made by CNEA with a Coordination Group which receives all the engineering from INVAP Afterwards the engineering enter in a revision process inside the CNEA by groups specially appointed by the CAREM Coordinator Every three months the Coordination Group have a meeting with their counterparts in INVAP were technical discussions arc held Also visit and revisions of the experiment works are done In some especial topics as RPV design and manufacturing, foreign experts are invited to assist and make special revisions Experts from other companies are also sometime required