Three countries, one clear evidence: Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil already generate nuclear electricity in Latin America
In Latin America, the debate about nuclear energy is often presented as a future issue. The reality is different: three countries in the region already produce nuclear electricity on a commercial scale. Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil operate reactors connected to the grid, provide firm and low-emission energy to their electrical systems, and concentrate the operational, regulatory, and industrial experience that the rest of the region observes with growing interest.
According to the World Nuclear Association (WNA), updated in September 2026, these three countries are the only ones in Latin America with operable nuclear reactors for electricity generation. Together, they have seven units in operation and a combined net capacity close to ~5,000 MWe. In 2025, their nuclear generation was:
- Mexico: ~9.8 TWh
- Argentina: ~10.8 TWh
- Brazil: ~14.9 TWh
This data matters for a simple reason: these are not pilot projects. This is energy infrastructure that is already delivering electricity to the system.
Mexico: Laguna Verde, firm energy in Veracruz
Mexico operates two reactors at the Laguna Verde Nuclear Power Plant, in Alto Lucero, Veracruz. According to the CFE and the IAEA country profile, each unit has a capacity of ~810 MW, for a total of ~1,620 MW. The World Nuclear Association reports a net capacity of 777 MWe and 775 MWe (1,552 MWe), a lower figure because it discounts the plant's internal consumption. Unit 1 was connected to the grid in 1990 and Unit 2 in 1995.
The operator is the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE). According to the WNA country profile, in 2025 nuclear represented around ~3.9% of Mexico's electricity. The IAEA's PRIS system places Mexican nuclear generation at 9,835 GWh.
The CFE has reported that in 2024 Laguna Verde delivered 11,978 GWh net and avoided the emission of more than 8.6 million tons of CO₂. It has also noted that this generation accounts for about 16% of the clean energy produced by the CFE itself.
Another key fact is the long-term operation. The Ministry of Energy of Mexico authorized in 2020 a 30-year extension for Unit 1, until 2050. Unit 2 received an extension until 2055. Laguna Verde is intended to continue operating for the coming decades.
Argentina: Three reactors and the most complete nuclear trajectory in the region
Argentina is the most advanced case in the region. It operates three commercial reactors —Atucha I, Atucha II, and Embalse— with a combined net capacity of 1,631 MWe, according to the WNA. In 2025, it generated 10.8 TWh, equivalent to 7.3% of its electricity, the highest percentage of the three countries.
The IAEA profile confirms three reactors in operation and the prototype CAREM-25 registered as a unit under construction (approx. 25 MWe). CAREM is the first small modular reactor design of Argentine origin.
Argentina has a consolidated institutional chain: CNEA, Nucleoeléctrica Argentina, INVAP, and the Nuclear Regulatory Authority. In 2026, the government announced an SMR plan with private financing of 1.2 billion dollars for a reactor of about 300 MWe at the Atucha site. If Mexico shows continuous operation, Argentina shows a system: plants, regulation, its own engineering, and technological ambition.
Brazil: The largest nuclear generation in LATAM and a third unit pending
Brazil operates two reactors in Angra dos Reis, state of Rio de Janeiro: Angra 1 (609 MWe net) and Angra 2 (1,275 MWe net), for a total of 1,884 MWe. In 2025, it generated 14.9 TWh, the highest volume in the region, although its share in the matrix is 2.2% due to the large size of its electrical system.
In November 2024, the life extension of Angra 1 was authorized until 2055. The major pending issue is Angra 3 (approx. 1,400 MWe), whose start of operation has been pushed to 2031.
Brazil also has a relevant industrial ecosystem, with Eletronuclear, Nuclear Industries of Brazil (INB), and ABDAN. The Brazilian case summarizes a regional dilemma: installed capacity and existing projects subject to political and financial continuity.
What the three cases show together
The numbers from 2025 leave a clear conclusion: Latin America already has nuclear electricity. It is not a hypothetical scenario. Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil operate real plants with decades of experience.
However, there are limits. None of the three currently has a massive expansion underway, and new projects face delays or interruptions. The region knows how to operate; it lacks converting that operation into a sustained growth strategy.
#NuclearSummitExpoLATAM #NuclearEnergy #B2BNuclearMatchmaking #Networking #EnergyTransition #SustainableEnergy #CleanEnergy #SafeEnergy #NuclearEnergy #SustainableEnergy #CleanEnergy #SafeEnergy
Sources
- World Nuclear Association, World Nuclear Power Reactors & Uranium Requirements (September 2026).
- World Nuclear Association, country profiles (Mexico, Argentina, Brazil).
- IAEA, Country Nuclear Power Profiles and Power Reactor Information System (PRIS).
- World Population Review, Nuclear Power by Country 2026.
- CFE / Industry & Energy Magazine, Laguna Verde data 2024.
- World Nuclear News, reports on CAREM, SMR, and Angra 3.
- CFE / Industry & Energy Magazine: units of 810 MW each; in 2024 it generated 12,306.58 GWh gross and delivered 11,977.77 GWh net.
- IAEA, Country Nuclear Power Profiles – Mexico
Start writing here...