11 Jun (NucNet): Russia’s state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom is ready to build a nuclear power plant in Brazil and would be willing to take part in any project as a major investor.
In a speech to a nuclear energy conference in Rio de Janeiro, Rosatom deputy director-general for development and international business Kirill Komarov said Rosatom was ready to discuss the prospect of building and operating a Russian-built commercial nuclear plant in the Latin American country.
He said there were various forms of possible bilateral cooperation and Rosatom is ready to support any Brazilian initiatives by offering “a wide range of solutions”.
Mr Komarov said if Brazil decides to allow private investors to take part in national nuclear energy programmes, Rosatom is ready to “take such projects into consideration”.
He said: “If Brazil decides that it supports private investors, we are prepared to play our part. But only the Brazilian government can make such a decision.”
Othon Luiz Pinheiro, the president of Eletronuclear, the nuclear unit of state-controlled utility Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras (Eletrobras), told the same conference that Brazil needs to study other forms of electricity generation because is too dependent on hydropower.
Rosatom said Eletrobras has plans to build “four to eight” nuclear units by 2030. Brazil has two commercially operational nuclear reactors – Angra-1 and Angra-2 – which according to the International Atomic Energy Agency generate about three percent of the country’s electricity.
In January 2011, Brazilian national development bank BNDES approved 3.6 billion US dollars (1.9 billion euros) of financing for completion of the country’s third nuclear unit, Angra-3, which is being built by Eletronuclear in the municipality of Angra dos Reis, close to Rio de Janeiro.
Construction of the 1,400-megawatt Angra-3 unit was started in 1984 and halted in 1986 because of a lack of financing. In 2007, a government energy policy committee authorised completion of the unit, and the country’s nuclear regulator granted a construction permit in May 2010.
Angra-1 was built using technology from US company Westinghouse. Angra-2 was built by Siemens, whose nuclear business has since become part of France’s Areva, and Angra-3 is being completed by Areva.
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