China and Argentina announced their goal to launch a CANDU (Canada Deuterium Uranium) reactor project in the first quarter of 2017, which is expected to pave the way for more nuclear project cooperation between the two countries.

During a Wednesday meeting in Beijing, the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and the visiting Argentina’s Ministry of Federal Mining representatives and its state-run energy company sponsor Nucleoelectrica Argentina S.A.(NA-SA), confirmed and clarified their goal of start construction of a CANDU reactor project in the first quarter next year and discussed further cooperation on the project, the CNNC website showed.

“China and Argentina, though a world apart, are in close nuclear cooperation. The two countries share a tradition of friendship and both governments also attached much significance to nuclear power cooperation,” CNNC general manager Qian Zhimin said during the meeting.

CNNC is willing to strengthen association with its Argentine counterpart and realize cooperation and win-win scenarios in multiple fields such as CANDU reactor, pressurized water reactors and nuclear fuels, Qian noted, adding that both sides should guarantee projects during earlier phases that can be launched on time so as to create a good beginning for follow-up projects, according to the website.

The CANDU reactor is Canadian-developed, pressurized heavy water reactor used for electric power generation.

CNNC is reportedly the only nuclear company that has exported nuclear power reactors in China so far. In November 2015, CNNC and NA-SA signed technical and commercial contracts to build two nuclear power plants in Argentina, news site thepaper.cn reported.

The China-Argentina nuclear power plants will contribute to over 30-billion-yuan worth of nuclear power plant equipment exports, according to thepaper.cn.