“We trust our scientists! We launched 53 new scholarships to train our professionals in #Russia to manage the #ElAlto Nuclear Research Reactor (…). Our revolution is also technological!” wrote President Luis Arce on social networks.

According to the call launched by the Bolivian Nuclear Energy Agency (ABEN), the selected university graduates will be trained in the Russian Federation. Once the requalification phase is over, they will work in the Nuclear Reactor Research Complex, a component of the Center for Research and Development in Nuclear Technology being built in El Alto.

A mission of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headed by engineer Vivian Pereira visited Bolivia in late September, with the objective of strengthening ABEN’s activity on nuclear safety and radiological protection.

During the IAEA visit, presentations were made on the project called Improving Nuclear Security through the Sustainable Management of Disused Radioactive Sources, their Inventory, Storage and Code of Conduct.

The mission also offered Bolivia the option of managing the removal of category I and II radioactive sources, due to disuse or change in technology, and hosting a regional Spanish-speaking workshop on Policy and Strategy Development in 2024.

After concluding the mission, the IAEA team presented a pre-report with conclusions and recommendations focused on perfecting the regulatory authority and the operator, improving their management in matters of nuclear safety and radiological protection.

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