Juragua Nuclear Power Plant
Encyclopedia
Juragua Nuclear Power Plant was a nuclear power plant
under construction in Cuba
when a suspension of construction was announced in 1992 following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the termination of Soviet economic aid to Cuba.
Russia and Cuba sought third-country financing to complete the plant in the mid 1990s but in 2000 the two countries agreed to abandon the project.
signed an "Agreement for co-operation concerning civil uses of atomic
energy". This agreement suggested the possibility of further cooperation extending to the design, construction, and operation of power producing nuclear reactors. The agreement was reached during Fulgencio Batista
's regime, later overthrown as a result of the Cuban Revolution
in 1959. The treaty was ultimately terminated during the Cuban Missile Crisis
in October 1962.
Russian-Cuban cooperation in nuclear energy dated back to January 1967, when the Soviet Union
sponsored a photo exposition, "Atomic Energy for Peaceful Purposes", at the Cuban Academy of Sciences
. Nine months later both countries reached an agreement to provide Cuba with a research reactor
for experimental and teaching purposes, as well as assistance in assembling and operating the equipment. In 1975 Cuban and Russian officials signed treaties for "Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy" and the "Establishment of Direct Scientific-Technical Co-operation in the Field of the Uses of Nuclear Energy".
In 1976 Cuba
and the Soviet Union
signed an agreement to construct two 440-megawatt nuclear power reactors (VVER-440 V318
) in the south central province of Cienfuegos
, near Juragua. The original plan called for 12 reactors, four each at Juragua, Puerto Esperanza
in the western part of the island, and Holguín
, in the east. The project was ultimately reduced to two 440-megawatt nuclear power reactors, both at Juragua. Upon completion, the first reactor would have generated over 15% of Cuba's energy demands. The construction of these reactors was a priority for Cuba because of its dependence on imported oil.
nuclear power reactors, the first Soviet-designed reactors to be built in the Western Hemisphere
and in a tropical
environment. The VVER
are pressurized water reactor
s (PWR) developed by the Soviet Union. The number 440 indicated the electric power in MWe of the reactor, which employed two turbines of 220 MWe each with an overall thermal power of 1,375 MWth for the reactor. The V318 model was the newest 440 MWe Soviet-model and it was based on V213, an improvement in safety standards
over the older V230 reactors, which lacked an Emergency Core Cooling System (ECCS). The Cuban model (V318) was also designed to have full containment with a steel-lined concrete dome
structure to inhibit the release of radioactive particles in the event of a severe accident.
under bilateral economic cooperation agreements. The first reactor was initially scheduled to be operational in 1993 by Cuban officials, but it was later estimated that the reactor would not be operational until late 1995 or early 1996. However, the collapse of the Soviet Union disrupted construction at Juragua, as a market economy established new economic ties and Russia
began providing technical assistance to Cuba on a commercial basis. The plant was being built with the help of some 450 Russian technicians and 300 of them were withdrawn after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
At the behest of the Russian Federation, Cuba negotiated with European firms such as Siemens
, Cegelec
and Skoda
to provide Instrumentation and Control equipment to upgrade the safety standards of the plant. In the 1970s Russia had successfully constructed Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant
in Finland through a joint venture with Siemens
to comply with Finnish nuclear regulations. In 1992 Siemens visited the Juragua plant and agreed to install the systems but Russia was unable to pay in hard currency as demanded. Cuba was also incapable of delivering the $21 million payment that Siemens was asking for. On September 5, 1992, Cuban President Fidel Castro
announced a suspension of construction at Juragua due to Cuba's inability to meet the financial terms set by Russia to complete the reactors. Castro stated that more than 1.1 billion
dollars had been invested.
A September 1992 GAO
report estimated that civil construction on the first reactor ranged from 90 to 97% complete with only 37% of the reactor equipment installed, while the second reactor was only between 20 and 30% completed. The primary components had not been installed and the nuclear fuel was not delivered. Russian press reported that at least one reactor, without nuclear fuel, and its steam turbine set were delivered to Cuba.
's withdrawal, concerns over Cuba's ability to safely operate the plant surfaced. In the eventuality of a nuclear accident, radioactive fallout from an accident could reach United States territory on the third day after an accident. United States president Bill Clinton
stated in April 1993 that the United States opposed the construction of the plant because of safety concerns and Cuba's refusal to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
or ratify the Treaty of Tlatelolco
. Some media referred to the plant as a potential "Cuban Chernobyl
" and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
, a United States Representative
from Florida and born in La Havana, described the plant as "a potential Chernobyl in our own backyard". Cuba also met with criticism related to the inadequate storage of deteriorating mechanical equipment.
In a September 1992 report to the Congress, Cuban nuclear plant workers that emigrated to the United States
stated that the nuclear facility presented problems that could affect the safe operation of the reactors and their construction. According to these workers, the Cuban technicians did not have a good system to check the reactor's components provided by the Soviet Union. A former Cuban technician, responsible for checking the welds
in the civil construction, claimed that from about 5,000 weld sites that had passed inspection, 10 to 15 percent were defective. According to another worker, individuals trained to be reactor operators received five months of instruction from the Russians on a simulator that did not resemble the reactor under construction in Cuba.
, Ansaldo
and Électricité de France
. However, the aforementioned companies dismissed the claims and it was reported that the announcement could have been part of a political stance against United States threat to cut aid to Russia. The United States opposition on the project discouraged other countries following the Helms–Burton Act, which continued and strengthened the United States embargo against Cuba
. Estimates regarding the cost to finish the reactor ranged from $300 million to $750 million. In 1997 Fidel Castro announced that Cuba was no longer interested in finishing the plant and would be seeking other energy alternatives. In December 2000 Russian President Vladimir Putin
visited Cuba and offered to finish one reactor by investing 800 million dollars over the course of six years. Castro subsequently announced that Cuba was no longer interested in completing the twin 440-megawatt reactor plant. This announcement was made amid the failed attempt to resolve the problem of Cuba’s debt to the former Soviet Union, inherited by Russia.
In 2004, the principal turbine at the Juragua plant was removed to replace a damaged turbine at Guiteras thermoelectric plant.
Nuclear power plant
A nuclear power plant is a thermal power station in which the heat source is one or more nuclear reactors. As in a conventional thermal power station the heat is used to generate steam which drives a steam turbine connected to a generator which produces electricity.Nuclear power plants are usually...
under construction in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
when a suspension of construction was announced in 1992 following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the termination of Soviet economic aid to Cuba.
Russia and Cuba sought third-country financing to complete the plant in the mid 1990s but in 2000 the two countries agreed to abandon the project.
Background
Cuba's interest in civil use of nuclear energy dated back to 1956, when Cuba and the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
signed an "Agreement for co-operation concerning civil uses of atomic
energy". This agreement suggested the possibility of further cooperation extending to the design, construction, and operation of power producing nuclear reactors. The agreement was reached during Fulgencio Batista
Fulgencio Batista
Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar was the United States-aligned Cuban President, dictator and military leader who served as the leader of Cuba from 1933 to 1944 and from 1952 to 1959, before being overthrown as a result of the Cuban Revolution....
's regime, later overthrown as a result of the Cuban Revolution
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
in 1959. The treaty was ultimately terminated during the Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
in October 1962.
Russian-Cuban cooperation in nuclear energy dated back to January 1967, when the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
sponsored a photo exposition, "Atomic Energy for Peaceful Purposes", at the Cuban Academy of Sciences
Cuban Academy of Sciences
The Academy of Sciences of Cuba , founded on May 19, 1861 with its headquarters in the National Capitol building in Havana, is Cuba's Academy of Sciences...
. Nine months later both countries reached an agreement to provide Cuba with a research reactor
Research reactor
Research reactors are nuclear reactors that serve primarily as a neutron source. They are also called non-power reactors, in contrast to power reactors that are used for electricity production, heat generation, or maritime propulsion.-Purpose:...
for experimental and teaching purposes, as well as assistance in assembling and operating the equipment. In 1975 Cuban and Russian officials signed treaties for "Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy" and the "Establishment of Direct Scientific-Technical Co-operation in the Field of the Uses of Nuclear Energy".
In 1976 Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
signed an agreement to construct two 440-megawatt nuclear power reactors (VVER-440 V318
VVER
The VVER, or WWER, is a series of pressurised water reactors originally developed by the Soviet Union, and now Russia, by OKB Gidropress. Power output ranges from 440 MWe to 1200 MWe with the latest Russian development of the design...
) in the south central province of Cienfuegos
Cienfuegos Province
Cienfuegos is one of the provinces of Cuba. The capital city of the province is also called Cienfuegos and was founded by French settlers in 1819....
, near Juragua. The original plan called for 12 reactors, four each at Juragua, Puerto Esperanza
Pinar del Río Province
Pinar del Río is one of the provinces of Cuba. It is at the western end of the island of Cuba.-Geography:The Pinar del Río province is Cuba's westernmost province and contains one of Cuba's three main mountain ranges, the Cordillera de Guaniguanico, divided into the easterly Sierra del Rosario and...
in the western part of the island, and Holguín
Holguín
Holguín is a municipality and city, the capital of the Cuban Province of Holguín. It also includes a tourist area, offering beach resorts in the outskirts of the region.-History:...
, in the east. The project was ultimately reduced to two 440-megawatt nuclear power reactors, both at Juragua. Upon completion, the first reactor would have generated over 15% of Cuba's energy demands. The construction of these reactors was a priority for Cuba because of its dependence on imported oil.
Design
The Juragua plant included two VVER-440 V318VVER
The VVER, or WWER, is a series of pressurised water reactors originally developed by the Soviet Union, and now Russia, by OKB Gidropress. Power output ranges from 440 MWe to 1200 MWe with the latest Russian development of the design...
nuclear power reactors, the first Soviet-designed reactors to be built in the Western Hemisphere
Western Hemisphere
The Western Hemisphere or western hemisphere is mainly used as a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian and east of the Antimeridian , the other half being called the Eastern Hemisphere.In this sense, the western hemisphere consists of the western portions...
and in a tropical
Tropics
The tropics is a region of the Earth surrounding the Equator. It is limited in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere at S; these latitudes correspond to the axial tilt of the Earth...
environment. The VVER
VVER
The VVER, or WWER, is a series of pressurised water reactors originally developed by the Soviet Union, and now Russia, by OKB Gidropress. Power output ranges from 440 MWe to 1200 MWe with the latest Russian development of the design...
are pressurized water reactor
Pressurized water reactor
Pressurized water reactors constitute a large majority of all western nuclear power plants and are one of three types of light water reactor , the other types being boiling water reactors and supercritical water reactors...
s (PWR) developed by the Soviet Union. The number 440 indicated the electric power in MWe of the reactor, which employed two turbines of 220 MWe each with an overall thermal power of 1,375 MWth for the reactor. The V318 model was the newest 440 MWe Soviet-model and it was based on V213, an improvement in safety standards
Nuclear safety
Nuclear safety covers the actions taken to prevent nuclear and radiation accidents or to limit their consequences. This covers nuclear power plants as well as all other nuclear facilities, the transportation of nuclear materials, and the use and storage of nuclear materials for medical, power,...
over the older V230 reactors, which lacked an Emergency Core Cooling System (ECCS). The Cuban model (V318) was also designed to have full containment with a steel-lined concrete dome
Dome
A dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....
structure to inhibit the release of radioactive particles in the event of a severe accident.
Construction
The construction of the first reactor began in 1983 and the second in 1985. Most of the reactor parts, except for civil construction materials, were supplied by the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
under bilateral economic cooperation agreements. The first reactor was initially scheduled to be operational in 1993 by Cuban officials, but it was later estimated that the reactor would not be operational until late 1995 or early 1996. However, the collapse of the Soviet Union disrupted construction at Juragua, as a market economy established new economic ties and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
began providing technical assistance to Cuba on a commercial basis. The plant was being built with the help of some 450 Russian technicians and 300 of them were withdrawn after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
At the behest of the Russian Federation, Cuba negotiated with European firms such as Siemens
Siemens
Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...
, Cegelec
Cegelec
Cegelec is a European company providing technological services to companies and public authorities. It has a workforce of 25,000 and has a presence in 30 countries. It has been a subsidiary of Vinci since 2010....
and Skoda
Škoda Works
Škoda Works was the largest industrial enterprise in Austro-Hungary and later in Czechoslovakia, one of its successor states. It was also one of the largest industrial conglomerates in Europe in the 20th century...
to provide Instrumentation and Control equipment to upgrade the safety standards of the plant. In the 1970s Russia had successfully constructed Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant
Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant
Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant , is a nuclear power plant located close to the Finnish city of Loviisa. It houses two Soviet-designed VVER-440/213 PWR reactors, each with a capacity of 488 MW....
in Finland through a joint venture with Siemens
Siemens
Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...
to comply with Finnish nuclear regulations. In 1992 Siemens visited the Juragua plant and agreed to install the systems but Russia was unable to pay in hard currency as demanded. Cuba was also incapable of delivering the $21 million payment that Siemens was asking for. On September 5, 1992, Cuban President Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
announced a suspension of construction at Juragua due to Cuba's inability to meet the financial terms set by Russia to complete the reactors. Castro stated that more than 1.1 billion
1000000000 (number)
1,000,000,000 is the natural number following 999,999,999 and preceding 1,000,000,001.In scientific notation, it is written as 109....
dollars had been invested.
A September 1992 GAO
Government Accountability Office
The Government Accountability Office is the audit, evaluation, and investigative arm of the United States Congress. It is located in the legislative branch of the United States government.-History:...
report estimated that civil construction on the first reactor ranged from 90 to 97% complete with only 37% of the reactor equipment installed, while the second reactor was only between 20 and 30% completed. The primary components had not been installed and the nuclear fuel was not delivered. Russian press reported that at least one reactor, without nuclear fuel, and its steam turbine set were delivered to Cuba.
Allegations of problems and defects
United States opposition to the project had existed since the 1980s, but upon Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
's withdrawal, concerns over Cuba's ability to safely operate the plant surfaced. In the eventuality of a nuclear accident, radioactive fallout from an accident could reach United States territory on the third day after an accident. United States president Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
stated in April 1993 that the United States opposed the construction of the plant because of safety concerns and Cuba's refusal to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, is a landmark international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to...
or ratify the Treaty of Tlatelolco
Treaty of Tlatelolco
The Treaty of Tlatelolco is the conventional name given to the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean...
. Some media referred to the plant as a potential "Cuban Chernobyl
Chernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine , which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities in Moscow...
" and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1989. She is a member of the Republican Party....
, a United States Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Florida and born in La Havana, described the plant as "a potential Chernobyl in our own backyard". Cuba also met with criticism related to the inadequate storage of deteriorating mechanical equipment.
In a September 1992 report to the Congress, Cuban nuclear plant workers that emigrated to the United States
Cuban exile
The term "Cuban exile" refers to the many Cubans who have sought alternative political or economic conditions outside the island, dating back to the Ten Years' War and the struggle for Cuban independence during the 19th century...
stated that the nuclear facility presented problems that could affect the safe operation of the reactors and their construction. According to these workers, the Cuban technicians did not have a good system to check the reactor's components provided by the Soviet Union. A former Cuban technician, responsible for checking the welds
Welding
Welding is a fabrication or sculptural process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by causing coalescence. This is often done by melting the workpieces and adding a filler material to form a pool of molten material that cools to become a strong joint, with pressure sometimes...
in the civil construction, claimed that from about 5,000 weld sites that had passed inspection, 10 to 15 percent were defective. According to another worker, individuals trained to be reactor operators received five months of instruction from the Russians on a simulator that did not resemble the reactor under construction in Cuba.
Attempts to resume construction
In 1995 the Russian Ministry of Atomic Energy announced that it intended to resume the construction of Cuba’s reactors in 1998 with financing provided by an international consortium involving SiemensSiemens
Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...
, Ansaldo
Ansaldo Energia
Ansaldo Energia, a subsidiary of Finmeccanica, is an Italian power engineering company. It is based in Genoa.-History:The parent company, Ansaldo, started in 1853. It was taken over by Finmeccanica in 1993...
and Électricité de France
Électricité de France
Électricité de France S.A. is the second largest French utility company. Headquartered in Paris, France, with €65.2 billion in revenues in 2010, EDF operates a diverse portfolio of 120,000+ megawatts of generation capacity in Europe, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.EDF is one of...
. However, the aforementioned companies dismissed the claims and it was reported that the announcement could have been part of a political stance against United States threat to cut aid to Russia. The United States opposition on the project discouraged other countries following the Helms–Burton Act, which continued and strengthened the United States embargo against Cuba
United States embargo against Cuba
The United States embargo against Cuba is a commercial, economic, and financial embargo partially imposed on Cuba in October 1960...
. Estimates regarding the cost to finish the reactor ranged from $300 million to $750 million. In 1997 Fidel Castro announced that Cuba was no longer interested in finishing the plant and would be seeking other energy alternatives. In December 2000 Russian President Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
visited Cuba and offered to finish one reactor by investing 800 million dollars over the course of six years. Castro subsequently announced that Cuba was no longer interested in completing the twin 440-megawatt reactor plant. This announcement was made amid the failed attempt to resolve the problem of Cuba’s debt to the former Soviet Union, inherited by Russia.
In 2004, the principal turbine at the Juragua plant was removed to replace a damaged turbine at Guiteras thermoelectric plant.