At the end of the 1990s, Brazil’s energy sector faced deep changes, evolving privatization of state owned electric companies and the restructuring of the electric sector. The government has decided to focus the role of the state on policy making and market regulation, phasing out its previous involvement as owner of the major economic agents.

In that context, the federal Government created two agencies responsible for regulation and inspection of the electricity sector — Brazilian Electricity Regulatory Agency (ANEEL) — and of the oil and gas sector — Brazilian Agency for Oil, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP). In the power sector it also created the Brazilian System Operator (ONS) and the Chamber of Electric Energy Commercialization (CCEE). In 2004, the federal Government decided to establish the Energy Research Office (EPE), which heads energy planning according to the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) policies.

In the power sector, a new regulatory framework was set up in 2004, after energy rationing in 2001–2002. This regulatory framework represented significant fine tuning of the power sector in Brazil, particularly in energy planning, juridical security and regulatory stability, energy auctions and universal access programmes.

As stated in the first article of federal law No. 9,478, Brazil’s energy policy is composed of 18 objectives, shown below:

1. Preserve the national interest.

2. Promote development, expand the labour market and enhance energy resources.

3. Protect the interests of consumers with regard to price, quality and availability of products.

4. Protect the environment and promote energy conservation.

5. Ensure the supply of petroleum products throughout the national territory, in accordance with the Constitution.

6. Increase the use of natural gas in economic bases.

7. Identify the most appropriate solutions for the supply of electricity in different regions of the country.

8. Use alternative energy sources, through the economic use of inputs available and applicable technologies.

9. Promote free competition.

10. Attract investment in energy production.

11. Increase the country’s competitiveness in the international market.

12. Increase the use of biofuels in the energy matrix, considering economic, social and environmental bases.

13. Ensure the supply of biofuels throughout the national territory.

14. Encourage power generation from biomass and its by-products, owing to its clean, renewable and complementary character to hydraulic sources.

15. Promote the country’s competitiveness in the international biofuels market.

16. Attract investment in infrastructure for transport and storage of biofuels.

17. Promote renewable energy research and development.

18. Mitigate emissions of greenhouse gases and pollutants in the energy and transport sectors, including the use of biofuels.

According to Brazilian Energy Balance 2020, Brazil’s energy mix has 46.1% renewables, among the highest rates globally (average 13.9% in 2017). The share of renewable energy in electricity generation is 83%, while the global rate is only 22%. According to ANEEL the installed generation capacity in 2020 was slightly above 172 GW, with over 63% hydro, 26% thermal energy (including natural gas, biomass, nuclear, etc.), 9% wind and 2% solar energy.

According to the 2030 Brazilian Energy Expansion Plan (PDE 2030), the energy required to boost the economy will reach 328 million toe in 2030 (in 2019, this consumption was 259 million toe). The installed generation capacity will reach over 204 GW in 2030. Transmission lines will reach slightly above 200 000 km (compared to 158 892 km in 2020).

In December 2015, during COP21 (21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change — UNFCCC), Brazil committed to reducing, by 2025, its greenhouse gas emissions by 37% compared to 2005 levels and, as a subsequent indicative contribution, reducing, by 2030, greenhouse gas emissions by 43% under the same comparison basis. It is worth mentioning that Brazil’s intended nationally determined contribution comprises its whole economy and is based on flexible ways of achieving these objectives. In other words, these objectives can be achieved in different manners, with different contributions from various economic sectors.

According to Brazilian Energy Balance 2018, Brazil’s electricity sector has, on average, a very low carbon index when establishing comparisons with countries of the European Union, United States of America and China.

Table 1 shows estimated available energy sources in Brazil.

TABLE 1. ESTIMATED AVAILABLE ENERGY SOURCES

	Fossil fuels			Nuclear	Renewables
	Solid (106 t)	Liquid (10ł mł)	Gas (106 mł)	Uranium (t)	Hydro (GW)	Other
						renewable
Total amount in specific units	32 259	4 729 440	703.267	309 370	135	—
Total amount in exajoules (EJ)	294.0	76.0	15.4	90.2	3.5	—

Note: Solid = coal; liquid = oil; gas = natural gas.

—: data not available.

Source: http://www.epe.gov.br/pt/publicacoes-dados-abertos/publicacoes/BEN-Series-Historicas-Completas.

Table 2 shows energy statistics in Brazil.

TABLE 2. ENERGY CONSUMPTION

Final Energy consumption [PJ]	2000	2005	2010	2015	2019	Compound annual growth rate 2000–2019 (%)
Total	6 557	7 366	9 003	9 683	9 611	2.03
Coal, Lignate and Peat	371	393	469	488	454	1.07
Oil	3 347	3 302	3 925	4 298	4 093	1.06
Natural gas	209	413	529	515	455	4.18
Bioenergy and Waste	1 474	1 953	2 490	2 587	2 726	3.29
Electricity	1 155	1 300	1 574	1 765	1 844	2.49
Heat	1	4	15	29	40	21.43

*Latest available data, please note that compound annual growth rate may not be representative of actual average growth.

**Total energy derived from primary and secondary generation sources. Figures do not reflect potential heat output that may result from electricity co-generation.

—: data not available.

Source(s): United Nations Statistical Division, OECD/IEA and IAEA RDS-1

According to ANEEL, the installed generation capacity in 2020 was slightly above 172 GW, with over 63% hydro, 26% thermal energy (including natural gas, biomass, nuclear, etc.), 9% wind and 2% solar energy. According to PDE 2030, which is an indicative plan, the installed generation capacity will reach over 204 GW in 2030, with over 56% hydro, 20% thermal energy, 16% wind, 4% solar and 4% ‘peak alternative’ (for instance, thermal, storage or demand side management).

According to PDE 2030, transmission lines will reach slightly above 200 000 km (compared to 158 892 km in 2020).

Considering the regulatory framework of the power sector in Brazil established in 2004, new generation competes for long-term contracts in auctions to supply the regulated market or bilaterally negotiate their contracts to supply free (eligible) consumers.

Regulated auctions are periodic and organized every year for future delivery (named ‘A-x’, where ‘A’ is the delivery year: A-3, A-4, A-5, A-6, etc.). The main aspects of these auctions are the following:

Meet the regulated consumers’ demand in the long term (as declared by their respective distribution utilities) and serve as price-hedging mechanisms for consumers;

• Provide exclusivity for new generation capacity and technology specific products and contracts;

• Provide long term energy contracts for power generators;

• Contracts are denominated in BRL and indexed to inflation;

• For thermal power plants, fuel purchase instalments can be indexed to a collection of international fuel prices and foreign exchange rates.

According to Chamber of Electric Energy Commercialization (CCEE) and Energy Research Office (EPE), from 2005 to 2018, Brazil organized almost 40 generation auctions, contracting more than 90 GW (over 1200 power generation projects). The main energy sources in this expansion are: hydro (47%), wind (18%), natural gas (15%), biomass (8%) and solar (3%). Regarding transmission auctions, Brazil has contracted more than 70 000 km in 13 years.

In 2012, companies owned by Brazilian states and private companies, along with companies of Eletrobrás Group, were responsible for electricity generation, transportation and distribution in different regions, satisfying all of Brazil’s demand. Today, 80% of these distribution companies, previously owned by Brazilian states, is owned by the private sector owing to a privatization programme. About 75% of the generating capacity in the country is still government owned.

Additionally, it is important to mention that another round of policy innovation is ongoing, mainly in the fields of renewables, distributed energy resources, consumer empowerment and digitalization. Capacity expansion has occurred in Brazil in recent years, but it is important to recheck the model, with the objective to adapt it to the power system of the future (for instance, this recheck aims to increase incentives for efficient, decentralized decision making, improvements on spot price formation, removal of legal and regulatory barriers to innovation, and separation of products in the area of energy, reliability and ancillary services).

The present model establishes a number of measures to be followed by the agents, such as a requirement for distributors and free consumers to contract for their entire demand, a new methodology to calculate physical coverage of power sale contracts, a way of contracting for hydro and thermal energy so that a better balance between supply cost and safety is assured, and a permanent supply safety monitoring structure to detect possible imbalances between supply and demand.

Distributors have to purchase electricity at the regulated contracting environment through least price auctions, in order to minimize the acquisition costs of electricity that are passed on to the tariffs of consumers.

The model also includes social insertion initiatives, by promoting the universalization of access and use of electricity for those citizens who do not enjoy this benefit yet, as well as by ensuring subsidies to low income consumers so that they can bear the costs of their power bills. These initiatives are to be funded by the Energy Development Account (CDE).

Generation: wholesale energy market in place and auctions of long term (20+ year) energy contracts for new capacity.

Transmission: central planning and auctions for 30 year concessions of new transmission facilities.

Institutions in place and regulatory framework: independent (and federal level) regulator, ISO and market operator; current framework established in 2004.

Table 3 shows Brazil’s installed capacity, electricity production and consumption, and Table 4 shows energy related ratios (some of the following information should be available in PRIS).

TABLE 3. ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION

Electricity production (GWh)	2000	2005	2010	2015	2019	Compound annual growth rate 2000–2019 (%)
Total	348 538	402 228	515 362	581 262	625 921	3.13
Coal, Lignate and Peat	11 006	10 742	11 338	27 468	24 089	4.21
Oil	15 169	11 678	16 065	28 696	10 224	-2.05
Natural gas	4 068	18 812	36 475	79 490	60 448	15.26
Bioenergy and Waste	7 844	13 591	31 495	49 446	54 514	10.74
Hydro	304 403	337 457	403 289	359 743	397 877	1.42
Nuclear	6 046	9 855	14 523	14 734	16 129	5.30
Wind	2	93	2 177	21 626	55 986	71.42
Solar	0	0	0	59	6 655

*Latest available data, please note that compound annual growth rate may not be representative of actual average growth.

**Electricity transmission losses are not deducted.

—: data not available.

Source: United Nations Statistical Division, OECD/IEA and IAEA RDS-1

TABLE 4. ENERGY RELATED RATIOS

	2000	2010	2015	2019
Electricity consumption per capita (kW·h/capita)	1 899.59	2 373.98	2 568.32	2 585.78
Electricity production/Energy production (%)	19.6%	17.5%	17.5%	16.7%
Nuclear/total electricity (%)	1.5%	2.6%	2.4%	2.5%

*Latest available data.

Source: RDS-1 and RDS-2

—: data not available.

In 1970, a decision was made to build Brazil’s first nuclear power station through an international bid. The contract of a turnkey project for a 626 MW(e) pressurized water reactor (PWR), Angra 1, was awarded to Westinghouse Electric Corporation of the United States of America. The construction of Angra 1 started in 1971, and first criticality was achieved ten years later.

In 1975, in an effort to become self-sufficient in nuclear power generation, Brazil signed an agreement with the Federal Republic of Germany to build eight 1,300 MW(e) reactors (PWR Biblis B type) over a period of 15 years. Under this agreement, two of these units (Angra 2 and Angra 3) were scheduled for construction on the following year, with most of their components imported from Kraftwerk Union’s (KWU) shops in Germany. According to this agreement, the rest of the plants were to contain 90% Brazilian-made components. The Brazil–Germany agreement created the Empresas Nucleares Brasileiras (Nuclebrás) as Brazil’s stated owned nuclear holding company. Additionally, several subsidiaries (joint companies) were established to achieve nuclear technology transfer from Germany, as shown below.

COMPANY	ACTIVITY
NUCLEP*	Heavy components manufacture
NUCLEI*	Enrichment by jet-nozzle process
NUCLEN*	NPP architecture and engineering
NUCLAM*	Uranium prospection
FEC	Fuel elements manufacture
CDTN	Nuclear technology R&D centre
NUCON	NPP construction
NUCLEMON	Rare earths production
CIPC	Mining and yellow cake production

*Joint Brazilian–German companies.

Brazil’s nuclear regulatory body is the National Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN), responsible for licensing NPPs and nuclear facilities, performing regulatory activities, and training and organizing personnel, according to Law 4.118 of 1962. In the early 1980s, the Brazilian Navy embarked on a nuclear propulsion programme. The Navy’s main activity was the development of uranium enrichment by the ultracentrifuge process, which was achieved by the end of the decade and continued through the 1990s.

Owing to several factors, especially financial, the Brazilian–German technology transfer programme stalled. The construction of Angra 2 and Angra 3 was interrupted several times, resulting in further delay in Brazil’s nuclear programme. Owing to Brazil’s foreign debt and high inflation, with added pressures from the privatization programme and budget cuts, Brazil’s nuclear programme was reorganized at the end of the 1980s.

In 1988, a new company, Indústrias Nucleares do Brasil SA (INB), replaced Nuclebrás and its subsidiaries, with limited authority. INB became responsible for rare earths, mining of nuclear minerals, and yellow cake and nuclear fuel production, assuming the activities of FEC, NUCLEMON and CIPC. FEC, renamed as Nuclear Complex of Resende, was transformed into an INB Directorate. Both INB and NUCLEP, responsible for heavy equipment fabrication, became CNEN’s subsidiaries. However, both companies report directly to the Ministry of Science and Technology and are administratively independent from CNEN. Responsibility for the construction of nuclear power stations was transferred to the state owned utility, FURNAS/Eletrobrás, incorporating NUCON activities. NUCLEN maintained responsibility as NPP architect and engineer. In 1997, the architecture and engineering company NUCLEN merged with the nuclear directorate of FURNAS, a utility responsible for the bulk supply of electricity to most developed regions of Brazil. The new company, named Eletronuclear – Eletrobrás Termonuclear S/A, is responsible for the design, procurement and follow-up of Brazilian and foreign equipment and the management of construction, erection and commissioning of NPPs, and is the sole owner and operator of NPPs in the country. Siemens sold its 25% holding in NUCLEN to Eletrobrás when Eletronuclear was formed. NUCLEI and NUCLAM were disbanded.

Currently, Eletronuclear is focused on its Top 10 Corporate Goals, which include the construction of the Spent Fuel Dry Storage Facility, the licence renewal for long term operation of the Angra 1 NPP, and the resumption of the construction of Angra 3 NPP, among other projects of strategic importance for the company.

The Business and Management Plan also follows the directives from the Business and Management Plan PDNG 2018–2022 of the Eletrobrás System, with the goals of the five year period being monitored through operational performance and management, governance and socio-environmental indicators. These strategies also cover the maintenance of the safe and high performance operation of Angra 1 and Angra 2, and for the resumption, according to higher definitions and in the shortest possible time, of the Angra 3 NPP project.

The current organizational structure of Brazil’s nuclear sector and the relationships among different organizations, since January 2019, is shown in Figure 1. CNEN is the regulatory body, which reports to the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovations and Communications (MCTI).

Eletrobrás, responsible for planning and coordinating all activities of the electrical sector at national level, is under the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME). The remaining organizations are discussed in the following sections.

FIG. 1. Organizational structure for nuclear energy development in Brazil.

Reactor Unit	Type	Net Capacity [MW(e)]	Status	Operator	Reactor Supplier	Construction Date	First Criticality Date	First Grid Date	Commercial Date	Shutdown Date	UCF for 2020
ANGRA-1	PWR	609	Operational	ELETROBR	WH	5/1/1971	3/13/1982	4/1/1982	1/1/1985		82.7
ANGRA-2	PWR	1275	Operational	ELETROBR	KWU	1/1/1976	7/14/2000	7/21/2000	2/1/2001		80.0
ANGRA-3	PWR	1340	Under Construction	ELETROBR	KWU	6/1/2010	8/3/2026	8/13/2026	11/30/2026

Data source: IAEA - Power Reactor Information System (PRIS).

Note: Table is completely generated from PRIS data to reflect the latest available information and may be more up to date than the text of the report.

Hydroelectric power plays a paramount role in the Brazilian electricity system while thermal power plants (conventional and nuclear) are lower contributors to national electricity supply.

The ANGRA 1 nuclear power plant located between Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, has a net capacity of 626 MW(e). It started commercial operation in December 1984. During the period 1985-1989, the plant experienced two unscheduled outages due to problems on the main condenser and main electric generator.

Construction of ANGRA 2 nuclear power plant began in January, 1976, but due to financial problems the construction of the unit was slowed down and was halted several times. The economic recovery of the second half of the 90's led to the acceleration of the unit's construction. This reactor became critical on July 14, 2000. On July 21st, 2000, at 10:16 pm, ANGRA 2 was synchronized for the first time to the Brazilian interconnected electrical grid. ANGRA 2 trial operation (a test phase of continuous operation at a 100% power level) was successfully completed on December, 2000. In February, 2001 Angra 2 started commercial operation.

The third nuclear station (ANGRA 3), a 1,405 MW(e) PWR reactor, and similar to ANGRA 2, was acquired from Siemens/KWU together with ANGRA 2. ANGRA 3 has about 70 per cent of the design work completed and 70 per cent of the imported major equipment already manufactured and stored on site. The civil works and electro-mechanical assembly activities were postponed in 1991. ELETRONUCLEAR and several independent consulting firms developed technical and economic feasibility studies for ANGRA 3, which were submitted to government authorities. Finally, on July 1st 2010, the construction of ANGRA 3 was resumed with the first concrete pouring in the Reactor Building. So far 43% of the engineering work has been completed. It is expected that Angra 3 will be connected to the grid early of the next decade, by which time it will add 1405 MW to the Brazilian electrical output.

ANGRA 1, since December 1984, has operated at full capacity, on several occasions, when it was necessary. In March 1993, the plant experienced problems with some fuel rods. It resumed energy production in December 1994. From 1994 on, the performance of ANGRA 1 followed a more reliable path, reaching its generation record in 1999, 3,976.9 GWh, with an availability factor of 96%. However, due to the restriction to operate at a maximum of 80% capacity, to ensure the safe operation of its Steam Generators, ANGRA 1 had unsatisfactory performance until 2009, when the steam generators were replaced. Since then the plant has operated at a level of excellence, having broken its generation records, consequently, in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

In July, 2002, the National Electric Power Agency approved the new installed capacity value of 1,350 MW for ANGRA 2. ANGRA 1 and ANGRA 2 play an important role in the reliability of the southeast electric system (predominantly of hydro origin), assuring continuous electric power supply to the states of Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo, where local water resources are virtually exhausted and power supply depends on long transmission lines. In 2012, ANGRA 1 and ANGRA 2 generated 16,040,790.5 GWh, with load factors of 96.0 and 89.8%, respectively.

According to the 38th Annual Operation Report of Angra 1, covering the period from 1 January to 31 December 2020, the plant operated for 304 days in 2020 synchronized to the National Interconnected System (SIN), producing a total of 4 603 623.430 MW·h of gross electric energy, reaching an availability factor of 82.39% and a capacity factor of 81.26%.

Regarding Angra 2, according to its 20th Annual Operational Report, issued in 2021 on similar normative bases to those of Angra 1, the plant operated for 309.3 days in 2020 synchronized to the SIN, and its scheduled refuelling, maintenance and periodic testing outage lasted 56.7 days. The unit produced 9 448 896.17 MW·h of gross electric energy with a capability factor of 80.18% and a load factor of 79,44%.

All the nuclear safety indicators suggested by the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO), the IAEA and others to assess the safe and reliable operation of the plant and to measure and monitor the effectiveness of the operation and maintenance programmes, as well as all the indicators related to nuclear safety generation and availability, have met the established targets.

In July 2018, Angra 1 and Angra 2 underwent an international evaluation, WANO Peer Review. In the final report of the evaluation, the areas of chemistry, radiological protection and training were highlighted and had no area for improvement detected, compared to the last WANO evaluation of 2014.

Table 5. STATUS OF NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS

In 2018, Eletronuclear created an organizational structure to implement the Angra 1 Life Extension Programme, one of the company’s priorities in the coming years. The purpose of this new structure is to accelerate and integrate the activities carried out so far by several areas of the company. As part of this work, in 2018 Angra 1 received a Pre-SALTO mission (Safety Aspects of Long Term Operation), composed of experts from the IAEA, which evaluated the unit’s life extension programme.

The plant’s operating licence expires in 2024, and Eletronuclear is developing plant ageing management programmes and plant modernization and upgrade projects to allow the renewal of the current licence of Angra 1 by CNEN. A licence renewal application according to USNRC 10 CFR 54 and CNEN NT-007/18 was submitted to CNEN in October 2019. A Periodic Safety Review (PSR) according to IAEA SSG 25 will be submitted to CNEN in December 2023 as part of this licensing process.

Eletronuclear is negotiating plant modernization and safety upgrade projects with companies like Westinghouse and others to manage ageing and obsolescence issues (for instance, for instrumentation and control (I&C) systems) and ensure safe and stable long term operation. To support this effort for long term life extension of Angra-1, an investment partnership negotiation is being conducted with the Export–Import Bank of the United States with support from the United States Department of Energy and in cooperation with Westinghouse and other companies from the United States of America.

Eletronuclear does not have reactors in the process of decommissioning in the short term.

The prospects for the construction of new NPPs in Brazil are currently being considered in the long term.

The prospects for the construction of new NPPs in Brazil are currently being considered in the long term.

The prospects for the construction of new NPPs in Brazil are currently being considered in the long term.

The prospects for the construction of new NPPs in Brazil are currently being considered in the long term.

The prospects for the construction of new NPPs in Brazil are currently being considered in the long term.

Regarding information to the public, SIPRON norm NG-05 establishes the requirements for public information campaigns about emergency plans. The first public information campaign was conducted by FURNAS in 1982 before the first criticality of Angra 1. Several other campaigns have been conducted on a regular basis.

The campaigns combine information on both on-site and off-site emergency plans, including the population living in the 15 km area around the plant. These campaigns include training courses for community leaders and public school teachers, guided tours of the NPP for students from public schools, educational lectures in community associations and the distribution of informative material on a house to house basis, to local newspapers, radio, TV broadcasts, buses and bus stations, schools, community associations, churches and administrative offices.

In addition, visitors to the Site Information Center (almost 11 000 in 2018) receive general information covering, among others, nuclear energy generation, the Angra site, the operation of the plants, as well as the site emergency plan.

In Brazil, all nuclear R&D activities are developed by governmental institutions. They are carried out mainly by CNEN’s six R&D institutes, which are under the Ministry of Science and Technology, Innovations and Communications, and by military technology institutes, which are under the Ministry of Defence. These ministries are responsible for the establishment of the country’s nuclear R&D policies and strategies, as well as for the provision of the necessary budget and financing mechanisms to make the corresponding R&D projects feasible.

Six nuclear research centres have been established for carrying out R&D in nuclear sciences, technology and engineering. Research reactors, accelerators and several R&D laboratories, including pilot plant facilities, have been progressively set up in these centres. These research centers belong to the Research and Development Directorate (DPD) of CNEN and are listed below:

1. IPEN (Săo Paulo, SP) — Nuclear and Energy Research Institute

   Research reactors: two pool type reactors, one of 5 MW power and the other of 100 W power. Cyclotron: radioisotope production (^99mTc, ¹³¹I, ¹²³I, ¹⁸F, etc.). Research on fuel cycle and materials, reactor technology, safety, nuclear fundamentals, radiation and radioisotope applications, biotechnology, environmental and waste technologies.

2. IEN (Rio de Janeiro, RJ) — Nuclear Engineering Institute

   Research reactor: 1 (100 kW, Argonaut type nuclear reactor). Cyclotron: radioisotope production (¹²³I, ¹⁸F, etc.). Research on I&C and man–machine interfaces, chemistry and materials, safety, and reactor technology.

3. CDTN (Belo Horizonte, MG) — Nuclear Technology Development Centre

   Research Reactor: 1 (250 kW power, TRIGA pool type nuclear reactor). Research on mining, reactor technology, materials, safety, chemistry, environmental and waste technologies.

4. IRD (Rio de Janeiro, RJ) — Radiation Protection and Dosimetry Institute

   Research on radiation protection and safety, environmental technology, metrology and medical physics.

5. CRCN-NE (Recife, PE) — Nuclear Sciences Regional Centre of the Northeast

   R&D on radiation protection, dosimetry, metrology and reactor technology.

6. CRCN-CO (Goiânia, GO) — Nuclear Sciences Regional Centre of the Central-West Region

   R&D on underground water and environmental technologies.

Brazil has an ongoing project to build a multipurpose research reactor (RMB). With a maximum power of 30 MW and powered by uranium silicate enriched up to 20%, it will have a neutron flux of over 2 × 10¹⁴ neutrons/(cm²·s). Upon completion of its conceptual project, the reactor’s site was chosen and environmental impact assessments were conducted.

RMB is intended to provide the country with a science, technology and innovation infrastructure of fundamental importance to the nuclear sector. The project comprises a 30 MW research reactor as well as several associated facilities and laboratories to perform the following functions: radioisotope production, with emphasis on molybdenum 99 (Mo-99); irradiation tests of nuclear fuels and materials; and scientific research using neutron beams. The reactor’s site has been chosen to be in the state of Săo Paulo, and environmental impact assessments have been conducted. Local approval and a preliminary environmental licence have been issued to RMB by the corresponding nuclear and environmental regulators. The basic engineering design has been concluded and the detailed engineering design is in progress. Both designs were contracted in cooperation with Argentina.

Brazil participated actively on the Generation IV International Forum from its beginning until the conclusion of the roadmap in 2003. From that point on, the country became a non-active member.

Since 2002 Brazil has been a member of the International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles (INPRO), coordinated by the IAEA. Brazil contributed to the project by performing two nuclear system assessment studies using INPRO methodology, and participating in three INPRO collaborative projects and some INPRO dialogue forums. The country also took part in the consortium for the development of the IRIS (International Reactor Innovative and Secure) nuclear reactor, a small to medium power (335 MW(e)) integral type PWR. CNEN’s R&D institutes participated in specific design activities and some matching research.

Brazil is an active member of the international community for promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear technology. Its role is both as recipient and as donor. Under the sponsorship of the IAEA, roughly 100 trainees come to Brazil annually for fellowships, training courses and scientific visit programmes and 50 nationals go abroad for the same purpose.

In the Latin America and Caribbean region, the main fields of cooperation are human health and food safety. Special attention is given to cooperation in radiation protection, as Brazil has one of the best infrastructures in the region and is setting up a medical facility for acute radiation syndrome treatment in cooperation with France and the IAEA. Brazil is also cooperating with Portuguese speaking countries in Africa to raise their radiation protection profiles and training regulators to increase safety in the use of ionizing radiation in those countries.

In the region, only Brazil, Argentina and Mexico have nuclear power programmes. Although the technological bases of the three programmes are different (heavy water reactors in Argentina, PWRs in Brazil and boiling water reactors in Mexico), good cooperation in emergency planning and preparedness and safety culture are in place. Through the IAEA technical cooperation programme, Brazil also participates in the activities for NPP newcomers or those countries that are planning to increase their existing fleet.

Technical cooperation with the European Union, Gesellschaft für Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) and FORO Iberoamericano on operational and regulatory issues has been established, including probabilistic safety assessment, digital I&C systems, new fuels, emergency preparedness, severe accident management, long term operation, Fukushima peer review, and regulatory competences in the nuclear area.

Appendix 1 presents the list of international multilateral and bilateral agreements signed by Brazil.

The governmental organization responsible for the licensing of NPPs and other nuclear installations in Brazil is CNEN. CNEN, created in 1956, comprises three functionally independent directorates with the following responsibilities:

1. Directorate of Radiation Protection and Safety (DRS): radiation protection, safety, control and licensing of NPPs and other nuclear and radiation installations, safeguards and normalization.

2. DPD: fuel cycle and materials; reactor technology; radiation utilization and radioisotope application in health, industry, agriculture and the environment; radioisotope and radiopharmaceutical production; I&C systems and man–machine interfaces; nuclear safety; nuclear physics and chemistry, etc.

3. Directorate of Institutional Management (DGI): human resources, administration and information management, financial reporting and control.

In August 1962, with the enactment of Law No. 4118, the National Policy on Nuclear Energy was established, with Government monopoly of nuclear materials and nuclear minerals.

In 1989, the Brazilian Institute of Environment (IBAMA) was created and designated to conduct the environmental licensing of all installations, including nuclear facilities. CNEN is the co-authority on radiation aspects related to environmental licensing of nuclear facilities. This co-authority role means that a CNEN assessment has to be considered in the final decision by IBAMA.

In the early 1970s, owing to the needs of Brazil’s nuclear power programme, nuclear safety standards started to be used. An extensive set of rules and standards, as listed in Section 3.2, regulate nuclear activities in Brazil. CNEN regulatory staff amounts to more than 300 qualified professionals. The regulatory process involves the issuance of licences or authorizations as listed below:

1. Site approval;

2. Construction permit;

3. Nuclear material utilization authorization;

4. Initial operation authorization;

5. Permanent operation authorization;

6. Authorization for decommissioning;

7. Withdrawal of regulatory control.

Standards CNEN-NE-1.04 and CNEN-NE-9.01 establish the requirements for the licensing process of nuclear installations. The initial operation authorization is issued after safety analysis approval and for a limited period of time to complete the initial tests and to evaluate the preliminary operational experience. The permanent operation authorization is limited to 40 years. A periodic safety reassessment is conducted every ten years of operation, when the conditions of authorization can be modified or extended. A programme of inspections and audits is implemented and regular meetings with operators are held.

During the operational phase of nuclear facilities, periodic safety reports are required. Regulatory safety evaluation is conducted by CNEN through the review of the licensee’s reports as well as through periodic inspections. On-site resident inspectors are assigned for permanent supervision of operational safety.

In January 1999, a law establishing fees and taxes for licensing and operating authorization was approved by the National Congress and signed by the President of Brazil (Law 9.765/99). It establishes the fees for all phases of the licensing process as well as annual fees for operating units. These fees are directed to a special account to be used by CNEN in its licensing and inspection activities.

In 1981, the Environmental Policy Law was promulgated, and from 1983 to 1989 CNEN was also responsible for the environmental licensing of nuclear installations.

Concerning public communication, CNEN listens to public concerns and makes available information and standards through the internet, distributes printed material, responds to emails and participates in professional association exhibits, meetings and events. CNEN is permanently open for interviews with the media. CNEN has an internet channel open for all kinds of question asked by the population. It also participates in public hearings and meetings whenever invited. Public representatives, such as parliamentarians and officers of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, receive timely and factual answers to all questions.