Brazil’s Energy Minister Edison Lobao said on January 7 that the government wants four nuclear power plants in the country.
“We will approve the construction of these four (plants) this year,” Lobao told a news conference. There are still no estimates for the capacity of the four new plants or the costs.
Brazil currently has two operational nuclear power plants, Angra 1 (657 MW) and Angra 2 (1350 MW).
At the beginning of January 2011 the Brazilian national development bank BNDES approved 6.1 billion Brazilian reais (3.6 billion US dollars, 2.7 billion euro) to finance work on Angra-3. Construction of the plant started in 1984 but halted two year later because of finance shortfalls. In 2007, a government energy policy committee authorised completion of the unit and the nuclear regulator granted a construction permit in May 2010. At the beginning of January 2011 the Brazilian national development bank BNDES approved 6.1 billion Brazilian reais (3.6 billion US dollars, 2.7 billion euro) to finance work on Angra-3. Construction of the plant started in 1984 but halted two year later because of finance shortfalls. In 2007, a government energy policy committee authorised completion of the unit and the nuclear regulator granted a construction permit in May 2010. Construction of the 1350MW plant is to resumed and the plant is due to be operational by 2015.
Nuclear utility Eletronuclear was established in 1997 to build and operate thermal nuclear power plants in Brazil. It is a subsidiary of Eletrobrás, Eletronuclear the government controlled company that accounts for the generation of approximately 3 per cent of Brazil’s total electricity.
