Information Papers

Nuclear Power in Brazil

(August 2008)

Electricity consumption in Brazil has grown strongly since 1990. Per capita consumption is 2235 kWh/yr. Nuclear energy provides 3% of the country's electricity - about 13 billion kWh per year.  Hydro provides 92% of the total, and gives rise to some climatic vulnerability which is driving policy to diminish dependence on it.

About 40% of Brazil's electricity is produced by the national Eletrobras* system. About 30% of electricity is from state-owned utilities, and 20% from the 12.6 GWe Itaipu hydro scheme on the Paraguayan border. About 9% is from autoproducers and private generators.

* Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras SA 

Eletrobras was set up in 1962 as a holding company controlled by the Ministry of Mines and Energy, and 70% government owned. It is the main shareholder in Eletronuclear, the Brazilian nuclear utility.

Nuclear industry development

In 1970 the government decided to seek bids for an initial nuclear plant. The turnkey contract for Angra-1 was awarded to Westinghouse, and construction started in 1971 at a coastal site between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.

In 1975 the government adopted a policy becoming fully self-sufficient in nuclear technology and signed an agreement with West Germany for supply of eight 1300 MWe nuclear units over 15 years. The first two were to be built immediately, with equipment from Siemens-KWU. The rest were to have 90% Brazilian content under the technology transfer agreement. To effect this, a state-owned company Empresas Nucleares Brasileiras (Nuclebras) was set up with a number of subsidiaries focused on particular aspects of engineering and the nuclear fuel cycle.

However, Brazil's economic problems meant that construction of the first two Brazilian-German reactors was interrupted, and the whole program was reorganised at the end of the 1980s. In 1988 a new company, Industrias Nucleares Brasileiras SA (INB) replaced Nuclebras and most of its subsidiaries, but with limited authority and function related to fuel cycle activities. INB is a subsidiary of the National Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN).

Responsibility for construction of Angra 2 & 3 was transferred to the utility Furnas, a subsidiary of Eletrobras. Construction of Angra-2 resumed in 1995, with US$ 1.3 billion of new investment provided by German banks, Furnas and Eletrobras.

Then in 1997 a new company Eletronuclear* was set up as a subsidiary of Eletrobras and made responsible for all construction and operation of nuclear power plants. It combined the nuclear side of Furnas with the engineering company Nuclen, and Siemens then relinquished its 25% share in it. Nuclep is the continuing subsidiary from the Nuclebras period, handling heavy equipment manufacturing and now a subsidiary of CNEN, with INB.

* Eletrobras Termonuclear SA

Operating Brazilian power reactors

Reactors Model Net MWe First power Commercial
operation
Angra 1
PWR
626
1982
 1/1985
Angra 2
PWR
1270
2000
 12/2000
Total (2)   1896 MWe  

Angra-1 suffered continuing problems with its steam supply system and was shut down for some time during its first few years. Its lifetime load factor over the first 15 years was only 25%, but since 1999 it has been much better. Angra-2 has performed well.

The 1224 MWe Angra-3 unit was part of the same contract as Angra-2 and was designed to be a twin of it. While 70% of the equipment is on site, construction has not started. Eletrobras has been seeking a private partner with US$ 1.8 billion to complete it.

In November 2006 the government announced plans to complete Angra-3 and also build four further 1000 MWe nuclear plants from 2015 at a single site. Angra-3 construction approval was confirmed by Brazil's National Energy Policy Council in June 2007 and received Presidential approval in July.  First concrete is due in April 2009 and construction time of 66 months is planned, hence first power late 2014.

In July 2008 the government said it expected to licence construction of three further plants in the next twelve months, in the northeast and centre-south.  The following month that had become an indefinite plan for two in the northeast and two more near Angra in the southeast.  Electronuclear is looking at the Westinghouse AP1000, the Areva-Mitsubishi Atmea-1 and VVER-1000 from Atomstroyexport .

The addition of up to 8 GWe of new nuclear capacity is envisaged by 2030, this being the high scenario.  By 2060 the government hopes to have 60 GWe of nuclear capacity installed.

Economically, power from existing nuclear plants is about 1.5 times more expensive than that from established hydro, and power from Angra-3 is expected to be slightly over twice as expensive as old hydro, about the same as that from coal and cheaper than that from gas.  Overall, including Angra 3 in projections reduces network prices slightly.

Resources & Fuel Cycle 

Resulting from active exploration in 1970s and 1980s, Brazil has known resources* of 278,000 tonnes of uranium - 5% of world total. Three main deposits are Pocos de Caldas (Minas Gerais state - mine closed in 1997), Lagoa Real or Caetite (Bahia state - operating since 1999), and Itataia (Ceara state - expected start 2007, phosphate as co-product).

* Reasonably Assured Resources plus Inferred Resources, to US$ 130/kg 

Uranium has been mined since 1982, but the only operating mine is INB's Lagoa Real Unit, with 340 tU/yr capacity. INB has announced its intention to increase production to 1360 tU/yr by 2012, apparently by expanding Lagoa Real/Caetite to 670 tU/yr and bringing Itataia into production at 680 tU/yr. All mined uranium is used domestically, after conversion and enrichment abroad.

INB in 2008 entered an arrangement with fertiliser producer Galvani to recover uranium from phosphate mined at Santa Quiteria in Ceara state.  The mine is expected to operate from 2011 and produce 1360 tU per year as by-product of phosphate.  Reserves are 67,000 tU at 0.085% U.

In the early 1980s the Brazilian Navy started a nuclear propulsion program and undertook the development of centrifuge enrichment to 1989, evidently also with weapons in mind. A demonstration plant was built at Ipero, and then an industrial plant at Resende which will cater for much of the needs of the Angra reactors. The first cascade of this commenced operation in 2006 and the second is expected to do so in 2008. Stage 1 - eventually to be four modules totalling 115,000 SWU/yr and costing US$ 170 million - was officially opened in 2006 by INB. Each module consists of four or five cascades of 5000-6000 SWU/yr. The full stage 1 plant is expected to produce 60% of the fuel needs for Angra 1&2 by 2012. Stage 2 will take capacity to 200,000 SWU. The centrifuges are domestically-developed and very similar to Urenco technology.

INB's fuel fabrication plant designed by Siemens is also at Resende, with capacity of 160 tonnes per year pellet production and 280 t/yr fuel assembly.

Radioactive Waste Management

CNEN is responsible for management and disposal of radioactive wastes.  Legislation in 2001 provides for repository site selection, construction and operation for low- and intermediate-level wastes.  A long term solution for these is to be in place before Angra-3 is commissioned.
Used fuel is stored at Angra pending formulation of policy on reprocessing or direct disposal.

Regulation and safety 

The main legislation is the national policy on nuclear energy, 1962, the CNEN was set up in 1974 and amending legislation passed in 1989 and 1999.

The Brazilian nuclear regulatory body is the Directorate of Radiation Protection and Safety (DRS) of CNEN. It is responsible for licensing and supervision of all nuclear facilities. The Brazilian Institute for the Environment is also involved with licensing facilities.

CNEN reported initially to the Presidential Secretary for Strategic Affairs but now comes under the Ministry of Science and Technology.

A Nuclear Program Co-ordination and Protection Commission has representatives from every organisation concerned with nuclear issues and is open to local government and others with relevant interests.

R&D

The CNEN Directorate of R&D is responsible for all fuel cycle, reactor technology, radioisotopes, and related R&D. Five nuclear research centres carry out various R&D work.

At IPEN, Sao Paulo, there are two research reactors - one a 5 MW pool type - and a cyclotron, with radioisotope production.

At IEN, Rio de Janiero, there is a small Argonaut research reactor.

At CDTN, Belo Horizonte, there is a small Triga research reactor.

At CTSMP - the Navy Technology Centre at Sao Paulo, a prototype reactor for naval propulsion was being developed, but this program was redirected into possible applications for small power plants in the northeast of the country.

Brazil has been involved in the Generation IV International Forum, and in the IAEA INPRO program, both developing new-generation reactor designs and systems. CNEN is also involved with Westinghouse in developing the IRIS modular reactor.

Non-proliferation

Brazil is a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) since 1998 as a non-nuclear weapons state (it signed in 1995), but has been a party to the Tlatelolco Treaty since 1968. Following a new constitution in 1988, it renounced development of nuclear weapons and a Brazilian-Argentine Agency for the Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials (ABACC) was set up with full-scope safeguards under IAEA auspices applying since 1994. In 1996 it became a member of the Nuclear Suppliers' Group. Brazil has not accepted the Additional Protocol in relation to its safeguards agreements with the IAEA. .

Main References:
IAEA 2003, Country Nuclear Power Profiles.
Nuclear Engineering International August 1998, Datafile: Brazil.