The Ministers of Defense and Science announce the creation of a new Argentine multidisciplinary laboratory

As part of the trip to Antarctica, the Ministers of Defense, Jorge Taiana, and the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Daniel Filmos, sailed from the base of Marambio to Petrel aboard the icebreaker Ara “Almirante Irizar”, where they announced the installation of a fourth interdisciplinary laboratory that will be established in this station. In Petrel, the ministers not only supervised the progress of the reconstruction work, but also the construction of the photovoltaic solar panel field, the old structures demolished in the plain, and the old antenna field, among other activities.

After his arrival in Petrel, Minister Tayana emphasized: “We wanted to be present in Petrel to be able to observe the great task that the men and women of our Armed Forces are doing to restore this base. The aim is to provide it with the latest technology, the greatest respect for the environment with an emphasis on scientific research, and that is why We, in cooperation with the Ministry of Science, will build a fourth interdisciplinary laboratory on this base. In addition, he declared the reconstruction of Petrel “a task of paramount importance for the development of Argentine work in Antarctica. We are restoring it so that it becomes a modern base, a gateway to the continent and a mainstay of the national flag.”

For her part, Filmos confirmed that they announced, in cooperation with Tayana, “the establishment of a fourth multidisciplinary laboratory in Antarctica with an area of ​​800 square meters and an approximate investment of 500 million pesos from the ‘Building Science’ plan.” He added that the laboratory “will have the same building system developed by the Armed Forces with entirely national technology.” There will be two floors of 400 square meters each, and it will be a place for research for all Antarctic disciplines. The idea is to have it ready at the end of the next summer season.”

Likewise, Taiana and Filmus were able to see the installation of new fuel tanks, and the assembly of a temporary dock to facilitate the logistical unloading of the ship, among other things. It has been sought to highlight that the base, which has a capacity of 140 people, will contain state-of-the-art Antarctic housing. They have been designed with a technological innovation that allows the use of alternative energies. This latest suspension succeeded in introducing a joint development with the Department of Defense, which is part of the comprehensive renovation project for the Joint Base Antarctic Petrel (BACP), which after 40 years again becomes a permanent base.

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