Rosatom has signed an agreement with INB (Indústrias Nucleares do Brasil) for the conversion and enrichment of uranium mined in Brazil. The value of the contract amounted to about $40m. Rosatom won the tender against major international companies, including China Nuclear Energy Industry Corp (CNEIC).
The contract will be an important step in the implementation of the national nuclear energy development programme recently adopted in Brazil, which ranks seventh in the world in uranium reserves. Since only 26% of the subsoil has been studied at the moment, Brazil could potentially be among the top three.
Currently, Rosatom delivers an enriched uranium product to Brazil, from which fuel is produced for the Angra NPP. Rosatom said the new contract opens up prospects for further expansion of cooperation, including an increase in the supply of enriched uranium.
In 2024, INB resumed uranium exploration. In the 1970s and 1980s exploration showed that Brazil has reasonably assured resources of 210,000 tonnes of uranium. There had been little investment in exploration since the mid-1980s. Brazil produced 43 tU. All locally mined uranium is used domestically, after conversion and much of it enriched abroad. However, INB is also developing its own enrichment capability at Resende.
Currently, Brazil has two nuclear units in operation at Angra dos Reis, on the Costa Verde, in Rio de Janeiro. Angra 1&2, a total of 1.9 GWe, with unit 3 partially built. The first phase of the enrichment plant, which was completed in late 2022, has 10 cascades of ultracentrifuges in operation producing fuel for Angra. It enables INB to meet 70% of the demand for Angra 1, reducing dependence on foreign contracting services.
Implementation of the second phase of the enrichment plant will provide an additional 30 cascades of ultracentrifuges, which will guarantee Brazil self-sufficiency in uranium enrichment. By 2033, the company expects to be able to meet the fuel demand of Angra 1&2 and, by 2037, the needs of Angra 3.
