Amid an ongoing national government push to partially privatize Nucleoeléctrica Argentina S.A. (NASA), Buenos Aires Governor Axel Kicillof convened key nuclear energy sector representatives and union leaders to rally against the move, emphasizing energy sovereignty and the strategic importance of the nuclear industry. The provincial government reinforces its commitment to counter the national administration’s privatization agenda, signaling heightened political and sectoral tensions ahead.
Governor Axel Kicillof convened a high-level meeting in the Salón Dorado of the Buenos Aires provincial government with prominent figures from Argentina’s nuclear energy sector and related unions in December 2025. The gathering aimed to consolidate resistance against the federal government’s initiative, under President Javier Milei, to privatize a significant portion of Nucleoeléctrica Argentina S.A., which manages the Atucha I, Atucha II, and Embalse nuclear power plants. Kicillof criticized the national administration’s approach as “entreguista” (conceding national assets) and underscored nuclear energy as a key element of Argentina’s international standing and strategic energy resources. Since the publication of Decree 695/2025, which authorizes the sale of 44% of NASA’s shares to private actors while leaving 51% state-controlled, opposition from provincial authorities, unions, and industry stakeholders has intensified. This includes legal challenges filed to halt the sale based on constitutional grounds.
The provincial government, represented by Kicillof and Minister of Government Carlos Bianco, presented a united front supporting the nuclear sector as vital to national energy sovereignty and development. Subsecretary of Energy Gastón Ghioni highlighted Argentina’s recognized tradition in nuclear research and development led by CNEA scientists, warning of repeated disruptions to sector plans under similar political administrations. Nucleoeléctrica Argentina continues to exhibit positive financial results and international reference status in nuclear energy production and retail distribution. Attendees also included labor leaders from FATLYF and CTA Autónoma, scientific figures, and former NASA executives, reflecting broad stakeholder concern.
This confrontation between provincial and federal authorities comes amid wider internal divisions within the Peronist movement, with Kicillof emerging as a vocal defender of state industry against Milei’s market liberalization and fiscal austerity policies. The political dynamic surrounding the privatization initiative is expected to impact investment and regulatory certainty in Argentina’s nuclear energy market and could influence broader energy sector reform debates.
