Jorge Molina, head of Paraguay’s Radiological and Nuclear Regulatory Authority, identified microreactors with output up to 30 megawatts as the fastest deployment pathway, projecting operational capacity within five years if procurement begins immediately. Small modular reactors generating approximately 300 megawatts would require seven to ten years due to global production constraints limiting annual output to roughly ten units against dozens of existing orders, Molina told local media. The authority is drafting legislation that would permit private sector and cooperative ownership of reactors, allowing industrial parks and municipalities to generate nuclear power for internal consumption and sell surplus electricity under a distributed generation model similar to current solar panel regulations.
The Section 123 negotiation process could extend one to two years as U.S. delegations verify Paraguay’s institutional capacity to ensure physical security, maintain International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards, and manage radioactive materials. Molina emphasized workforce development as the primary implementation challenge, noting that training reactor operators and technical personnel requires seven to ten years of specialized education, much of which would initially occur abroad while Paraguay builds domestic training infrastructure.
The agreement advances Washington’s regional positioning against Chinese influence, as Paraguay remains the only South American nation maintaining formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan since 1957. The cooperation framework follows a February 2026 memorandum on critical minerals cooperation that explicitly covers uranium exploration in Paraguayan territory, linking nuclear fuel supply chains to potential reactor deployment.
This article was curated and published as part of our South American energy market coverage.
