Brasil’s nuclear utility Eletronuclear (part of state power company Eletribras) said in its 113-page annual report released on 27 May the planned completion of unit 3 at the Angra NPP and completion of the Complementary Used Fuel Dry Storage Unit (UAS) were the highlights of 2021. Work on Angra 3 should be resumed in 2022.
Despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and a severe water crisis in 2021, Eletrobras president, Leonam dos Santos Guimarães, said the company achieved significant progress in relation to its targets.
Among the highlights were advances in the Angra 3 agenda, including “the publication of the public notice for contracting the consortium that will restart the works of the unit and authorisation for the readjustment of the tariff for the plant, essential for the economic viability of the enterprise”. It is also important to highlight the company's financial performance in 2021, with a positive Ebitda of BRL842.2 million ($175m).
The completion of the UAS was another major milestone, along with the transfer of 288 used fuel elements from the Angra 2 pool to the unit. Also noteworthy is the compliance with the safety requirements of the National Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN) for the Angra 1 Life Extension Programme. The Ten-Year Energy Expansion Plan “demonstrates the significant contribution of nuclear power generation to keeping the Brazilian electrical matrix clean and safe as it is today and will continue to be in the future, when the world economy reaches high levels of decarbonisation”, Guimaraes said.
On 20 May, Eletrobras signed a contract with Brazilian engineering company Nuclebrás Equipamentos Pesados (Nuclep) to manufacture heat exchangers for planned Angra 3. The contract, worth more than BRL400 million, was signed by Guimarães and Nuclep President Carlos Henrique Silva Seixas in the presence of the Governor of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Cláudio Castro; Federal Deputy Julio Lopes; the Mayor of Itaguaí, Rubem Vieira de Souza (Dr Rubão); and other authorities. “Nuclep is not only the only company in Brazil capable of being part of the national nuclear development, but it is the only one able to manufacture what no one else can. Nuclep is a strategic asset for the country”, said Federal Deputy Lopes. After signing the document, Nuclep Industrial Director, Alexandre Magalhães led the oficials on a tour of the factory where they viewed the nuclear work in progress, not only for Angra 3 but also for the Submarines Programme of the Brazilian Navy, in addition to projects for the Oil and Gas sector and the Power Transmission Towers factory.
Image: Eletrobras signs contract with Nuclep to manufacture heat exchangers for Angra 3 (Source: Nuclep)
