Bolivia to build S. America's largest nuclear research center
Xinhua, November 20, 2015 Adjust font size:
Bolivian President Evo Morales announced on Thursday that his government is planning to build South America's largest nuclear technology research center.
Morales said he would present relevant plans to Russian President Vladimir Putin as they meet on Nov. 23 on the sidelines of the 3rd Summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum in Tehran, Iran.
Russian company Rosatom will be tasked with building the research center in the Bolivian city of El Alto, which will require an investment of at least 300 million U.S. dollars and will take four years to build.
The project will include a center for technological development, a multi-purpose gamma irradiation facility, a cyclotron and radiopharmacy laboratory and five specialized nuclear medicine centers.
Since Russia has around 20 similar centers, the Bolivian government is trusting that Russia's experience in this sector will help the project avoid environmental or health risks.
According to Bolivian Minister of Hydrocarbons and Energy Luis Alberto Sanchez, the facility will be supervised by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Endi