May 19, 2022. – ROSATOM State Corporation and the Bolivian Agency for Nuclear Energy (ABEN) jointly published a children’s book “Nuclear Science and Technology in El Alto”. The presentation was held at a school in El Alto and brought together more than 400 students from local educational institutions.
The main characters of the book are birds common in the CNRTD construction area, with names given from the languages of the local indigenous peoples. The characters presented to the young readers an easy-to-understand story about the purpose of all the facilities under construction and the benefits of nuclear technology for the development of the Plurinational State of Bolivia.
Representatives from ABEN and ROSATOM participated in the event. “I would like to thank my colleagues from ROSATOM for helping to publish this book, which will enrich children’s knowledge of nuclear technology. I hope it will soon be included in the compulsory reading list at all educational institutions in Bolivia,” said Hortensia Jim?nez, ABEN Executive Director in her welcoming speech. She also noted the significant progress made in the construction of the CNRTD this year and expressed her hope that the cooperation between ROSATOM and ABEN will reach a new level in the future.
At the end of the official part of the event the actors of the Grito theater performed for the children. The young audience was presented with a copy of the book “Nuclear Science and Technology in El Alto”.
For the reference:
The Center for Nuclear Technology Research and Development (CNTRD) in El Alto, Bolivia is an innovative project that brings together advanced nuclear technologies for the health, agriculture and many other industries. The CNTRD project is implemented by the Bolivian Agency for Nuclear Energy (ABEN) in cooperation with JSC GSPI (part of the Rusatom Overseas management circuit). The Center for Nuclear Technology Research and Development in El Alto is one of Bolivia’s most important healthcare projects. The radiopharmaceuticals produced at the CNTRD will be supplied to Bolivia’s nuclear medicine centers and will allow the diagnosis and treatment of more than 5,000 patients per year. This will make possible for local residents to undergo timely and high-quality medical examinations with advanced nuclear medicine products without leaving the country.
The CNTRD project is unparalleled in the world: it is located at an altitude of 4,000 meters above sea level. Its construction will greatly contribute to the development of science, medicine, agriculture and education in Bolivia, and will create more than 500 highly qualified jobs for Bolivian citizens.
In the summer of 2021, a ceremony took place to pour the first concrete of the building that will house Bolivia’s first research reactor. The head of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Luis Alberto Arce Catacora, attended the event.