The president of Nucleoeléctrica Argentina S.A. (NASA), Demian Reidel, has been at the center of a major institutional controversy following a series of internal complaints and legal filings that point to alleged irregularities in procurement processes. The focus is on a tender for cleaning services at the Atucha nuclear power plants, which reportedly involved a price markup of over 140% compared to current and recent values. This tender is considered critical, as the services are performed in radiation-risk areas within the Atucha I and II plants. In his formal complaint, the plant manager of Atucha I-II, Juan Pablo Nolasco Sáenz, warned of internal pressure to alter technical reports already issued, explicit requests to “justify” more expensive offers, and interventions by non-competent areas in the service evaluation. After the content of this complaint became known internally, the Nucleoeléctrica board resolved to halt the tender process and provisionally remove the general manager, Marcelo Famá, and the Administrative Coordination manager, Hernán Pantuso, from their duties. Both were appointed during Reidel's administration and are considered his top trusted officials. Earlier, the company Distribón SRL had already turned to the Federal Court to challenge another NASA cleaning tender, alleging possible favoritism, arbitrary demands, and impossible deadlines for highly complex technical services. Despite the suspension, LX Argentina remained the potential awardee by presenting the lowest bid in the group, though, according to internal complaints, it still exceeded the state-owned company's current costs by at least 140%. Three companies, including Limpiolux, submitted offers significantly higher than historical service values and the then-current contract. Internal documentation shows that the process was modified in terms of admissibility requirements, shortened submission deadlines, and technical criteria, which significantly reduced real competition. Of nine companies that initially expressed interest, only two—LX Argentina and La Mantovana Servicios Generales—passed the preliminary technical evaluation. Had the contract been awarded, the economic impact on this strategic state company would have been significant. The conflict escalated when the plant manager of Atucha I-II, Juan Pablo Nolasco Sáenz, filed a formal complaint with Nucleoeléctrica's Integrity Committee. Demian Reidel, an economist and physicist, had a prominent role at the Central Bank during Federico Sturzenegger's tenure and has solidified in recent years as one of President Javier Milei's closest economic advisors. In this context, suspicions of overpricing and favoritism not only compromise the company's leadership but also reignite the debate on control and transparency mechanisms in companies considered strategic to the country. To date, Reidel has not made public statements to address the allegations. His silence, far from dispelling doubts, fuels the tense internal climate and keeps a conflict alive that threatens to escalate both judicially and politically, with consequences yet to be determined.
