06/29/2024 – 8:13
At the most recent United Nations Climate Conference, COP28, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, a group of 22 countries committed to tripling nuclear energy generation by 2050. The concentrated effort is a way of contributing to decarbonization and contain climate change. Nuclear energy is considered clean because the plants do not emit greenhouse gases.
Brazil is not a signatory to the text, but is seeking to increase nuclear generation, through construction of the Angra 3 plant, on the south coast of Rio de Janeiro.
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A Brazil Agency provides a selection of data to understand how the plant is used in the country and in the world.
Brazil
Brazil currently has two plants in operation: Angra 1 and Angra 2. They are located at the Central Nuclear Almirante Álvaro Alberto (CNAAA), in Angra dos Reis, on the Costa Verde of Rio de Janeiro. The units are operated by the state-owned company Eletronuclear.
Angra 1 has been operating since 1985 and is in operating license renewal process for another 20 years. With 640 megawatts (MW) of power, the installation generates enough energy to supply a city of 2 million inhabitants, such as Manaus, capital of Amazonas.
The neighboring Angra 2 has been operating since 2001 and has a power of 1,350 MW. It is capable of supplying a city of 4 million inhabitants, equivalent to the populations of Brasília and Porto Alegre combined.
Together, they account for approximately 2% of the country’s electricity consumption. Despite being located in Rio de Janeiro, the energy produced by the plants is part of the National Interconnected System (SIN), meaning it is not necessarily consumed in the state.
Once operational, which is not expected before 2030, Angra 3 will have a capacity of 1,405 megawatts (MW) and will be capable of generating more than 12 million megawatt-hours per year, enough to meet the consumption of 4.5 million people.
Although generation is relatively low, Brazil is part of a select group of just three countries (along with the United States and Russia) that have mineral reserves, processing technology and nuclear plants to produce energy.
Brazil has the 8th largest reserve of uranium – the source of nuclear fuel – in the world. The largest is in Australia.
World
Nuclear energy accounts for 23.7% of the clean energy produced in the world. France accounts for more than 70%.
Worldwide, there are 437 nuclear reactors in operation. Of these, 93 are in operation in the United States, which is followed by France (56), China (55), Russia (37), South Korea (25), India (19) and Canada (19).
In Latin America, in addition to Brazil, Argentina (3) and Mexico (2) have nuclear plants. Of the three, Brazil is the one with the greatest power.
There are 58 reactors under construction in 17 countries worldwide. The countries with the highest number of construction projects are China (22), India (8) and Turkey (4). There are 13 reactors under construction in Europe and three in the Americas.
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